Nadia Reid had came highly recommended from a knowledgeable New Zealand music fan and I had seen her record posted on a couple of facebook vinyl groups I interact with, so it was inevitable that I would check out her music at some point. It was an almost last minute decision to attend this gig on her second album release tour, as funds were not available right up until the 11th hour. But the funds did arrive in time and enough to allow me to purchase both her records while at the gig.
Blue smoke was pretty much sold out for the concert as about 300 patrons mingled on the floor supping their beverages. I arrived just before the support act, with just enough time to buy my records, stash then in the car and order a drink as The Breaking Hearts started their set. The Breaking Hearts are a male/female duo with her singing and playing Acoustic guitar and him playing electric. They have apparently been around for a bit as they had something like 3 CD releases for sale on the merch table. They played a half hour set of folky type music which was ok but overall didn't excite me a lot. There were two songs around the middle of the set that stood out with some good vocal melodies and impressed me the most. I did find her voice a little overbearing towards the end of their set.
The obligatory changeover time then occurred during which time I had a conversation with the owner of my local record emporium which was a pleasant way to kill the interval as I was there on my own.
Nadia hit the stage alone with her acoustic for the fist song of her set and was joined soon after by another three muso's to complete her band. She doesn't always play with a full band but a lot of the music on her albums is with a band. Her music is a nice folky blend of americana and fairly mellow, although a couple of songs were a bit more energetic. Some times hearing an artist live for the first time and not having heard them before makes it a bit harder to really enjoy them. Sometimes a live act will impress me a lot even though I have never heard them before and sometimes maybe being more familiar with the artists music makes for a more enjoyable experience. This gig was a good night but I failed to be overawed or blown away by what I saw and left a bit underwhelmed as my expectations had been quite high. I still enjoyed the gig but was happy when it finished. Listening to both her records now as I write and I am very impressed by what I am hearing, so will take the opportunity to see her again when it arises and will be interesting to compare notes.
Below is a live clip from Orange Studio(where I have attended a couple of cool jazz gigs) playing a song of her first album.
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