Bay Area experimental genre-bending pop-rock artist Chrystia Cabral, who goes under the moniker Spellling, kept the crowd spelllbound (!) during the London date of her first ever UK tour, and showed just why she is such a fascinating artist, unafraid to be held back by genre boundaries.
Ably aided by Wyatt Overson (guitars), Giulio Cetto (Bass), Patrick Shelley (Drums) and Bella King (guitar and synthesisers), she proceeded to give an impassioned visual and musical performance in support of her recently released fourth album Portrait of my Heart.
She bounded onto the stage with her warm exuberance and started the show with ‘Keep it Alive’, from the new album, an energetic cornucopia of thumping drums, synth melodies and an anthemic chorus.
Other musical highlights included latest single ‘Destiny Arrives’, with its 90’s influences shining through and ‘Drain’ with its full on metallic riffs, culminating in a climactic swell and distorted guitar crescendo with SPELLLING spinning happily onstage, echoing the stagecraft from her influences PJ Harvey and Kate Bush.
There is a certain rawness on the newer rock-influenced songs she sings such as on ‘Alibi’
“You’re a psychopath
And I loved you for that
But I won’t take you back this time,”
a wonderful mix of visceral and fragile can be felt throughout the newer songs.
She ended her set with ‘Boys at School’, with the audience instantly cheering at the highly recognisable piano intro, before launching into a 7-minute epic based on her teenage experiences, with screaming guitars and thunderous drums heightening the angst. It also beautifully showcases her vocal range, from baby girl voice to full on rock power, not dissimilar to Skin.
For the encore we had the special treat of ‘Real Fun’ from Mazy Fly and ‘Little Deer’ from 2021’s The Turning Wheel, which many regard as an avant-garde pop masterpiece, as a special tribute to her fans in the UK who had not seen her live before.
Spellling is an artist’s artist and it is a joy to listen to her redefine musical boundaries as she forges her own artistic path. Judging by the enthusiasm of myself and the rest of the audience, it won’t be long before she’s back on these shores and we can witness her magic again.
Canadian artist, DJ and producer Debby Friday, opened for SPELLING and she owned the stage from the minute she walked onto it.
Debby opened her set by immediately asking the audience if they wanted a show, and after she received the raucous cheers she deserved, she continued to serve up her exciting blend of experimental art-pop and pulsating club beats. Her DJ background was very evident as she was accompanied on stage by a single DJ and beatmaker.
Musical highlights included songs ‘I Got It’, What a Man’, and ‘Hot Love’ from her debut album Good Luck, which saw her effortlessly prowl the stage, sing and dancing with joyous abandon whilst interacting with the audience, under hypnotic strobe lights.
As well as the good-time party-girl anthems, her lyrics are also introspective as she says:
“(my lyrics) are me in the present time writing to a past self, either sharing words of comfort or reflection.”
She also showcased recently released trance-like ‘1/17’ and current single ‘Lipsync’, where she starts with an electro-pop rap and culminates into an anthemic rave banger of a chorus. These songs will be included in her upcoming album The Starrr Of The Queen Of Life, out on August 1st.
DEBBY FRIDAY is a force of nature, with her genre-blending experimental dance-pop and charismatic stage presence, I can’t wait to see where she goes next.
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