Julian Laws
A Popular Music (Falmouth University) graduate currently based just outside of Bristol. A voracious reader, meticulous Letterboxd reviewer and lover of all things music. Consistently championing often ignored upcoming artists from Cornwall and the South West music scene to show what amazing talent can be found outside of the big cities!
ELLUR delivers an intimate and playful set to Bristol’s Louisiana, with support from Better Heaven
On 6th October a packed Louisiana crowd saw Yorkshire’s indie pop artist ELLUR glisten in an intimate and close gig, made large by staggering vocals and a stage presence that seemed to cleave the Bristol crowd’s hearts apart. Sprawling with contagious energy and expert audience conduction, ELLUR left listeners thinking they were watching a headline set on a much larger scale.
Better Heaven, the support act, introduced the early gig-goers to a blisteringly energetic night ahead. Their dreamy and raw songs coasted listeners through acoustic confessionals, to electric guitar stabbing anthems, igniting the crowd to welcome ELLUR – a band that reminds you why you always get to the gig early.
Bristol donned an incredible, autumnal sunset which only added to the blazing fervour in which listeners were greeted to when ELLUR and her band charged onto the stage. Opening with spoken word, the crowd hushed, breathed and waited for the warm energy and sound waves to bless their ears. ELLUR pleased the crowd with old and new songs alike.
The set had fan favourites such as ‘God Help Me Now’ and ‘Yellow Light’ from her debut EP to new, unreleased songs that only solidified listeners’ opinions of ELLUR’s music. Her mature sound and tendency to write catchy vocal hooks, all with a sing-along ability, only compounded the energetic buzz that fizzed through the crowd.
For its size, The Louisiana produces a tight sound and one that fit so perfectly with ELLUR and her band. The four musicians behind her, with their woody bass tones, ethereal keyboard parts and striking guitar tones, played one of the tightest sets I have heard all year. ELLUR sparkled through, enjoying the night as she played around with her songs on stage.
A Monday night crowd is always hard to please, to crack the stiff shells of a hard day of work, the moody thoughts of ‘another week ahead’, but one song in (also helped by Better Heaven) the crowd had loosened up and felt akin with the songstress – a talent found only in a special few. ELLUR is an artist that leaves listeners feeling privileged that ‘they got to see her before she got really big’. With more concerts of her UK tour coming up and potential for new songs to be released, there is only one way for ELLUR to go – that is onwards and upwards.
Listen to ‘Disintegrate’ here: