You’d be forgiven for not knowing the name Shan Smile. Just 24, the gospel-folk singer-songwriter has built traction in her hometown of London, with an album and two EPs – plus a performance at the MOBO Awards pre-show – already under her belt. However, she was yet to dip her toe in Brighton’s scene, having never played so much as a support slot here. Not one for caution, she opted to dive right in, booking a headline show at Komedia’s Studio – a gamble that paid off with a full house.

Lead singer Shan Smile took to the stage in bright, vibrant colours, and immediately won the crowd. With a charming and open smile, she chatted briefly with the audience before she flowed into her set. It was a soft beginning, as if she were introducing us to her sound first with soulful folk, using her voice gently to the restrained backing of her seven-piece band. She then quickly stepped up the energy and began to show the power of her voice for her second, more uptempo song, ‘Can’t Run All Night Long’.

While having their own definite stamp of modern British soul on all their music, the band made various stop-offs through genres in their material. They visited R'n'B with ‘Can’t Run All Night Long’, stepped into folk with ‘I Need You’, and committed to pure gospel blues with ‘Prove You Wrong’. A gospel thread ran through most songs, led by Shan’s beautiful vocal riffs and augmented by her two excellent backing singers.

A confident band leader, Shan took control of her space on the stage with a natural ease, particularly when not playing her guitar, opening her arms as if to embrace the crowd and bring them close. She talked easily with the audience between songs, revealing that gospel was a social, not just stylistic influence – she’s a devout Christian, raised on gospel music. Listening to her lyrics it’s clear that religion is a big part of her life, and one that she involves deeply in her own work.

The band – whose songwriting and instrumentation was often ambitious, but always well-executed – each took a few bars to solo at the end of the concert, introduced in turn by Shan. Short but sweet, this also gave them an air of professionalism which is unusual in such a young band. The final song, ‘Shan Shan Smile’, had the whole crowd up and dancing, an irresistibly joyful peak to the evening.

There is something infectious about the music of Shan Smile. Its spirit is so uplifting that it would be impossible to see the live show or listen to the CD, and come away depressed. This effect is only amplified by the optimism of the frontwoman, so that seeing her live feels like a shot in the arm. With such feel-good energy, it’s no surprise the band are making a name for themselves in London, nor that their first Brighton show went so well – when this promising young artist returns, word may well have spread.

Ben Noble

Website: shanicesmith.co.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/shansmilemusicpage
Twitter: twitter.com/ShanSmileMusic