ELLIE GOWERS + BILLIE MAREE - LIVE REVIEW

Ellie Gowers + Billie Maree, live @ the Barrel  House Ballroom, Totnes

Show Date: 5th October 2023

This was one of those three birds with one stone kind of evenings that don't come along all that often so

there was a fair amount of hanging on the night but, fear not, nobody was disappointed. The first bird (no misogyny intended) was the hotly tipped Totnes talent Billie Maree who took to the stage basking in the warm glow of the lights and the attentive, listening audience. Deftly plucked guitar notes, heartfelt lyrics and the kind of vocal delivery that belies the fact that she is entirely lost in her music. Previous singles 'Whale Eyes' and 'We Belong' featured and were a haunting delight as the singer-songwriter told us tales of discovering the world again through a child's eyes or surviving the darkest winter in every sense. There's a debut EP on the way and, I suspect, more songs taking in the wider world but the talent, tone and captivating aura is already there so everything else should fall in to place. 

Bird number two (sorry, this analogy was poorly thought out), was the excellent Ellie Gowers who was performing in Totnes for the first time as part of her UK tour. For the uninitiated, Gowers is a superb singer-songwriter who weaves tales out of historical bylines and more modern events with a folkish bent. The set began bravely with a solo a cappella song before the guitar came out and we were treated to a tour of Warwickshire folklore from famous trees to the tales of riverboat workers on the canal. An absolute highlight for me was another a cappella song in the shape of 'A Letter To The Dead Husband Of Mary Ball' which tells the true story of an abused wife who poisoned her husband and was hung for her troubles - a moving and vocally stunning performance. 

For a couple of songs, Gowers switched out to her new toy - a shiny, blue Baritone Gretsch - which gave the songs a rougher, deeper edge and hinted at some future musical directions. There was a brief and heartwarming pause in the set so that the entire audience could sing 'Happy Birthday' to Gowers' grandmother who was attending and sat in the front row as well as a sing-a-long to recent single 'The Stars Are Ours' which sent a tingle down the spine. The set was finished off with a long story about a Dutch Sea Shanty Festival and a cover of a Stan Rogers song which might sound niche but that's where Ellie Gowers' real talent lies; she has a real talent for taking the seemingly mundane and turning it in to a spellbinding and enthralling song. A thoroughly enjoyable, warm and engaging performance from an artist who is surely on the up and up. 

"But what of the third bird?", I hear you cry. Well, the third bird was the chance to finally check out the Barrel House Ballroom in Totnes which has been on my venue bucket-list for quite some time. And I wasn't disappointed from the period features of the listed venue and the friendly staff to the spot on acoustics and an audience so attentive that they waited for the resonance of the last chord of each song before applauding. So, two great artists, a superb venue and a top-class audience - and not a feather out of place.

More information: 

Barrel House Ballroom: https://barrelhousetotnes.co.uk/

Billie Maree: https://www.facebook.com/billiemareemusic

Ellie Gowers: https://www.facebook.com/EllieGowersMusic