with Sweetbellechobaby and Charlotte Carpenter
The gig was organised by Leicester festivals & Events
Reviewed by Aleksandra Brzezicka
Anyone complaining that nothing ever happens in Leicester obviously hasn’t paid a visit to the temporary outer spacey transparent bowl/stage, The Dome. It made an appearance at Jubilee Square as the main piece of City Festival 2019. BC Camplight, with support from Charlotte Carpenter and Sweetbellechobaby, made the first day truly magical.
After a bit of an opening ceremony, Leicester based most enigmatic duo aka Sweetbellechobaby made an altar of the stage to celebrate their heavenly pop. Starting with Don’t Follow, they’ve paradoxically made me want to chase after their ephemeral echo-like sounds. While their music is both lyrically and instrumentally quite minimalistic, it impresses. Especially with Alex Goodwin’s remarkable vocals.
its momentarily too repetitional manner, Sweetbellechobaby’s confessional lucid pop is a powerful weapon against the fast-pace of the modern world. And a thread of revolution, as they stated in Salvation, ‘take power from the one who gives the orders.’
See Sweetbellechobaby’s Facebook page.
Charlotte Carpenter should be listened to in complete silence so you won’t miss any parts of her story. A bluesy, only with a companion of a guitar, a tale of love and loss, acceptance of the defeat and rising above it. Carpenter’s ability of re-analysing and incorporating emotion into a song, in a very raw, organic way, makes her a complete artist. Among a few new tracks, she performed her latest single, Follow You Down, written after her grandma’s death. It’s a bittersweet memory of the relationship between her grandparents and dealing with the loss. Despite the morbid theme, there’s a hope to it as Charlotte said ‘I tried to make the song as uplifting as possible because she spent her whole life uplifting me.’
Finishing off with fiery, going-for-it kind of tune, Fire, Charlotte left us longing for more.
See our interview with Charlotte before her performance and see her perform Follow you Down at the gig:
See Charlotte Carpenter’s Facebook page.
After the turmoil of periodical homelessness, finding his blissful hideaway in the UK, getting critics’ acclaim, releasing Manchester praising album, How To Die In The North, just to get deported shortly after it, Philadelphian artist Brian Christinzio is back.
BC Camplight, featuring also Adam Dawson, Francesca Pidgeon, Luke Barton, Thom Bellini and Stephen Mutch, made a hell of an entrance with Deportation Blues, otherworldly ballad that begged to ‘welcome a stranger into your world.’ While BC Camplight’s brand sound is strange, there’s no need for greetings as their weird-ass indie-pop has already found a home here and I’m In a Weird Place Now, dedicated for us, could be a laid-back hymn for our ever-confused generation.
‘I want people to be terrified tonight’ said Brian but even with doomed lights, buzzing electronic sounds, steps-like gongs and tearing saxophone, we could never be scared. We’re fascinated by their music that affects all senses, let our buried emotions run loose to the exhilarating vocals.
BC Camplight’s musical universe is multi-dimensional, genre-bending and never obvious. It’s sci-fi synth-pop story set in Wild West, about mental issues and bad fortune, starring a bunch of genius outcasts. They hate Theresa May, brought beer for the audience and performed Elton John-like dramatically beautiful love song about a dog, When I Think Of My Dog.
BC Camplight is a revelation and sign that maybe true gems tend to stay hidden from plain sight. Watch out for their new album in Spring 2020.
See BC Camplight’s Facebook page.
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