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Belleville EP/Gig Review
Recorded wonderfully considering the budget, Belleville's debut EP The First Dance EP draws heavily on post-rock influences courtesy of guitarist James Whatley- think Mogwai or Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and mixes them with singer Emily Yates's lean toward traditional singer-songwriter style piano based songs. What we have here are five well written tracks, including the instrumental title track, but the standout for me has to be 7 minute long closer Stand, reaching epic heights on a beautifully textured journey. Instrumentally a great record, the violin is accentuating rather than dominating and, whilst I would have preferred the slight fast-foot of the live drumming on the record, Justice Addison and bassist Simon Clay bring a dance-indie feel to some of the tracks and especially to the live show.
The show itself at the Gulbenkian was atmospheric, with lots of fans gathered from mainly the churches in the area, and proceedings kicked off with Firefly, an acoustic duo- and they were good, playing their own material plus Mountains by Biffy Clyro, which was lovely. The singer seemed a little nervous but soon got into the swing of things. Would be good to see them perform again. Next up was One Accord, a male vocal group who sang very Christian songs to a receptive crowd. Finally, Belleville took to the stage and played a 9 song set. I was extremely impressed with Yates' stage presence, as it is very hard to maintain any kind of presence whilst sat behind a keyboard, and it's clear they've worked on a lot of new material recently.
All in all, I was very happy to be there- check out their website at www.myspace.com/bellevillemusic
Sure, why not.
By Anonymous on 22.6.2009
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As I approached the dimly lit Gulbenkian Bar late that Friday evening, I was met by the sound of Emily Yate’s harmonious voice rebounding between the neighbouring buildings. The echo of her mellow song came at me from all directions. It was a moment I will never forget. Thank you Belleville for sharing your music with the world.
By Lizzie A on 19.6.2009
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