Few people have emerged out of the female pop phenomenon as vibrant and radiant (might I add) as VV Brown. Big hair and lots of dancing! But what of the music I hear you ask? VV Brown is a singer songwriter who also produced her own album ‘Travelling Like The Light’. She uses ‘50s style music along with new electro sounds, disco beats and sounds emitted from your generic, retro gaming console. Hailing from Northamptonshire, this artist has come a long way from buying one string guitars and having to sell her keyboard. Both The Independent and The Los Angeles Times have named her an artist to be watched for 2009.
A jammed Concorde 2, shoes are being trod on and various types of lager can be heard toppling over and out of plastic pint glasses and onto the floor. The atmosphere is electric, and as the first few notes drift out across the room and onto the cold streets of Brighton, they’re greeted with cheers and wolf whistles. There she stands. This new artist has an already impressive arsenal of songs and you can tell that they’re appreciated too! Hear how the crowd react when she plays her signature song ‘Crying Blood’. With heavy drums and a slight lust for rhythm this song takes the audience to an electro lady powered 1950s and people are dancing. A bit earlier, another one of her singles, a raunchy anthem titled ‘Game Over’ had people dancing. Then the sickly sweet ‘L.O.V.E’ bubbled through the atmosphere. And then wait, wasn’t that a Coldplay song? Ending the gig with the album opener ‘Quick Fix’ (a sure case of rock n roll) she struts off stage only to be encored.
As she plays her soulful ‘Shark In The Water’ the atmosphere takes a pleasant turn. Filled with soul and emotion, VV sings out her sorrow accompanied with reggae like upbeat guitars and warm string sounds. Only the chorus with its full, rich and harsher sound denotes feeling of angst which best accompanies the title. I’m left thinking how lucky VV is to have keyboards. And not have to lug a horn section around like they did in the ‘50s!
Words by Niall Amor
Photography by Ruby Allcock
myspace.com/vvbrown
