Live Review: Clara Pople – 19th September 2024 – St. Pancras Old Church, London, UK
2 min read
Last night, UK singer-songwriter Clara Pople celebrated the release of her EP Hot Moon in style at London’s St. Pancras Old Church. The sold out show was packed with jubilant fans and adoring friends and family members alike, all coming together to help make the night one to remember.
Misty Miller, a fellow London-based artist, opened the night with her grungy singer-songwriter aesthetics. Late, an older song of her’s hit hardest in the church’s natural reverb, as did new single Too Heavy. According to Misty, the song was ‘the lowest she’s ever been’, but the result is a melancholic treat. Finishing with This Too Shall Pass, the room erupted into cheers and clapping. It was a choice made last minute by Misty on stage, with the chosen song ending her set perfectly.
Clara’s sultry opening, a live band rendition of the single Hot Moon, built up to a powerful conclusion, beginning her set with a bang. She introduced the band, commenting on how crazy it was that she was performing at the church. ‘I’ve never played a headline show this big before.’ Any nerves around this, however, didn’t show. Following song Last Dance transitioned seamlessly into It’s A Girl, with Clara taking the wheel and triggering layers and vocal effects with her handy Push Pad. Poison soared with the vocals rising above the piano-led introduction. Despite having to restart the track due to technical difficulties, it didn’t suck the energy from the performance, nor the appreciation from the crowd.
A brief family history began The Lark, a song that began life as an ode to a friend of her father’s who passed away. A string trio appeared on stage, Clara urging people to ‘close your eyes and see the violinist composing the best piece of your life’. It added extra weight to the already heavy-set song, the gorgeous melody and lush arrangement rising to new heights in the chorus. With the crowd transfixed, a saxophonist was then brought to the stage for what would prove to be a euphoric highlight to the show, Heartmaker.
It was a peak that couldn’t be beaten, only matched. With Clara’s thanks out of the way, as well as the band, she launched into a solo cover of Billie Eillish’s Chihiro, and ended her set with the released version of Hot Moon. The song acted as perfect bookends to a night that had been one continuous high.
Set List:
Hot moon (Acoustic)
Last dance
It’s The Girl
Poison (Acoustic)
Poison
The lark
Heartmaker
Balance
Chihiro (Billie Eillish’s Cover)
Hot moon
Writer and Musician, Ryan Bulbeck has been published with a number of online publications, and has worked with a myriad of great artists, both as a performer, and as a producer. His most recent band The 295 are still active, playing shows around the UK.
