The lovely Chess Club boys put on another fantastic gig last night at the Social in London and of course Glucky was there. First up was Alan Pownall, but this was an all together different Alan than the one we had seen at the Globe a few nights before (see review). Tonight Alan was playing with a band made up of Marcus and Ted, both from Mumford and sons, and it really made a difference. His confidence was apparent and deservedly so, the drums and double bass really added to what were already strong songs. Colourful day is still the standout song but we are beginning to see why the Major label offers are beginning to come in for "Tatler's most eligible bachelor"...we're not joking.
Next up were Naked and the Boys, fresh off the Young and Lost club tour supporting Noah and the Whale. We have seen NatB a few times and are always impressed with the level of energy these guys perform with. This set was no different. The single "If you find love" comes out on Young and Lost on March 3rd.
As we were waiting for the headline act to start, a very shy girl took the stage and picked up a guitar. She looked almost embarrassed to be on the stage but started singing songs anyway. It was at this point we realised she WAS the headline act. This was Alessi, who we had heard lots about but had never had a chance to see play live before. Alessi is just 17 and has been playing live for over a year. She is signed to EMI and even had Conor 'Bright Eyes' Oberst produce her album. Without being too dramatic, we were blown away by Alessi. Her haunting voice was even better live than on the great recordings, and she was just so damn...adorable!
The look of shock on her face when the crowd asked for an encore was priceless as she said it had never happened before. We know she wasn't lying as she had no clue what to play as an encore, so she did what any teenage girl would do, and asked her dad who was watching from the back.
Alessi is really set for big things and look for a nationwide tour coming later this year.
