The stage at St Luke’s, complete with soft purple and rose lighting complete with majestic stained glass windows in the background, is perfect for the North Yorkshire folk sensation Billie Marten. Her latest tour, coming on the back of her latest album Drop Cherries, takes her to a few select locations across the UK before a trip to the United States. Glasgow proves to be a special occasion, the audience revelling in the appreciative, adoring atmosphere that Marten at her best crafts into a mesmerising experience.
The night is opened with grace by Léa Sen, who is very open about what an inspiration Marten is to her. Sen has the joy of describing Dragonfly, which receives the biggest applause during her time on stage, as Marten’s favourite song of hers. It is an ideal build up, and when Marten takes to the stage herself, her music proves irresistible.
Marten has a soft yet distinctive voice that fills you with a gentle awe, with lovingly held high notes soaring down to lower, more pervasive sounds in what feels like slow motion. Meanwhile, eloquent acoustic soundscapes drift along with her vocals in beautifully rhythmic fashion. Some of the tracks are slow and wistful, while others have a slightly heavier, more deliberate beat (the final number even borders on thunderous).
As impeccable as the backing band are, the most rapturous reception is reserved for when Marten goes solo. For times it is just her, an instrument, and the audience. These performances are intimate, inviting the crowd to be a direct part of her life as a musician. One of the most arresting tracks is just Marten singing and hitting drawn out electronic-sounding notes on a keyboard. It is proof that Marten’s versatility is just as impressive as her dedication.
Suitably for a performance in a former church, Marten’s set feels as much like an adoring, heartfelt communion as much as it does a concert. She uses music to reach out directly to friends and strangers alike, bringing everyone together with warmth and humour in a way that transcends the divides between people. “This has really… saved me,” she says before her final track. It is a salvation she invites everyone to be a part of throughout what proves to be a memorable night, the walls of the past playing host to one of the present and future’s brightest musical stars.