Sophie-Rose & Nikki Grahme | livemusic.fm

An evening's medley of talent and the queer commanded you to listen as band Sophie-Rose and Soloist Niki Grahame took part in the line up at The Monarch in Chalk farm.

The words “You Killed Summer” gently lulled from Roses' lips and flushed the room. There was such charm in her manner and voice. Romantic wisps of hair fell to the corners of her mouth, lifted as she smiled, and sang sweet melodies of  verse. Her eyes smiled too. 

Anna Pesquidous who backed Sophie Rose Harper on vocals, purred delightfully into the microphone and ran her fingers so delicately over her harp it hummed like falling water. 

The boys in the outfit gave muscle to the tone. With the likes of Jack Gourlay on lead guitar, clasping and dominating his instrument to deliver vibrant earthy qualities to the music. 

The arrangement was flavoured with rhythms of folky funk and blithe rock, a rich sound that sent currents through their audience. The blend was a plush musical feast.  

Looking like summertide next we saw Lilliputian Niki Grahame, as she careened breezily onto the stage. Hers' was an acoustic set; accompanied by a chap at her knee playing the guitar. Facing everybody, she stood bold and resilient, open to speculation, the former Big Brother contestant then broke our anticipation. 

It was a brief offering, mainly formulated by Supergrass covers, most notably their hit “Late In The Day”. Niki put great care in assimilating herself with the original, but in doing so lost a lot of it's mellow charm with her austere performance and steely determination.

However, with cheerful ease she finished off her stint on stage and treated us to her own work. A lengthy comical song albeit basic, comprised of verses depicting various scenarios over ten years of Big Brother,  to commemorate the final airing of the show this summer. Grahame even managed repeating three shaky guitar chords to complement her acerbic mewing. Yet it was a crowd pleaser. Despite being less than pitch perfect the entertainment value came high and waves of cheer and excitement rose from the crowd with mass applause. 

Both acts healthily indulged the Friday night audience, admittedly on different grounds. Sophie-Rose have plenary power to break large, whereas plucky Niki just lightly touched on the scene. 

Flora C. R. MacLoughlin