Rock and Pop: Emmy the Great @ Cecil Sharp House
Published: 22 September, 2011
by JONATHAN SIMPSON
THE renaissance of singer-songwriters, conveniently put in the “folk” bracket, made Saturday night’s Emmy The Great concert a hot ticket. It’s probably rare for venues such as Cecil Sharp House to have ticket touts outside – but Emma-Lee Moss is no ordinary singer.
Whilst many in her position would choose a larger venue, the rousing melodies and rich lyricism of her songs kept the small and eclectic audience hanging on her every word.
The entire audience stayed respectfully silent for an entire set and very few left to go to the bar.
Lyrically, Emmy’s work is uplifting, yet has dark undertones that disturbed the tranquility of the room.
Bittersweet melodies with bold, dark lyrics gave the evening an intensity that drew on her personal experience.
Her second album, Virtue, was written during a period when her then fiancé had a religious conversion and left her for the church.
Many of the songs have an open disdain for religion and deal with subjects with a great maturity.
At 27, Emmy is one of the boldest songwriters in the UK and she left the distinct impression that she is destined for greater things.