Forgive me for being ironic but when told this female singer songwriter was a quirkier version of Alanis Morissette, I felt excitement similar to a churchgoer being given backstage passes to a Marilyn Manson gig. With a last minute change of venue, the beautiful siren from Surrey seemed a little dishevelled, but from the opening chords of her seven-song-set, all previous qualms were soon settled and the reasons behind her million-strong Twitter following quickly became apparent.
Skaugen has achieved a lot of success stateside and is about to embark on a tour down under, so performing first on the bill at a fifty-person venue should seem like a proverbial slap in the face - not that you could tell by her performance. Her enjoyment was there for all to see and the intimate confines of the setting became an irrelevance. With emotionally charged lyrics, which felt enchantingly improvised, it should only be a matter of time before she’s making waves on our shores. However, with her mix of fast-paced tracks and melodic ballads delicately balanced, the contrast of her set, at times, screamed for resolution.
Leaving the venue satisfied not to have seen another Natalie Imbruglia wannabe, I felt torn as to whether she’d be better sticking to her easygoing commercial sound.
SEAN DOWNS
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Bravo old chap. Well written.
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