Eliza Shaddad’s been popping up on all kinds of radars recently. All this talk around her is intriguing, to say the least, and more than justified a trip down to GDS to find out if it’s fact or fiction. As it turns out, it definitely wasn’t a wasted trip.

The trio’s overall sound is very minimal, folky but with the occasional outbreak that pushes them towards rock, or even grunge. There was something very fluctuous about their set, a showcase of their new EP and third release ‘Run’. They started soft and built to a peak around half-way through, then briefly dipped before a climax at the end with ‘Waters’. Their set may have intentionally reflected the fluctuations that underpin their music in general: their songs move between flowing and gentle, and hard and fuzzy, with what feels like organic growth. If intended, it was very neatly done.

Their songs, unusually structured, are in the story teller style. For most of the gig Shaddad serenaded the audience with a soft and breathy voice, but she could sing very strongly when she wanted to step away from the style. Little moments of raw power, where she really cut loose, stood out as compelling and climactic moments. On the whole she’s a light touch on the guitar too, playing fluid and enduring rhythms, but this would always be counteracted by the drummer crashing in to create moments of force and passion. Again the contrast made these the most taut and alluring sections of the performance.

The whole band in fact were very in-sync, and sensitive to the atmosphere they were building up and breaking down, song-by-song. There was something restrained about their music, as if in the quiet moments the players were pushing the music down and holding it back, so that at strategic moments they could unleash it, full volume, for maximum effect. They played with an intuitive control that was unexpected in such a young band.

That’s not to say it was a perfect gig, although it was a very interesting one – and promising, too. By her own admission, Shaddad needs to work on her banter. She gave the impression of being new to it, although not bad at it, and came across as endearingly unpractised at talking to her audience. By playing through the new EP in its entirety alongside some old material, the band also unwittingly illuminated how far they’ve come in very little time – and some as-yet unrecorded material hinted at how far they might still improve.

Swaying proved more appropriate than dancing on the night. There was something sensuous about their music, and sometimes exhilarating, which forced the body to move, but in super slow motion. The ebbs and flows of their songs and set gave their music a texture that many bands would envy. At the same time, they gave a sense of being very much in progress. This was the first date of a tour taking them across the UK and into Europe. They may play a very different show by the time they return – and in a year or two, who knows where they’ll be.
Ben Noble

Website: http://www.elizashaddad.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElizaShaddad
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/elizashaddad