The second stop of the Lost Souls Tour for Catlea was The Brunswick in Brighton and I left the night in disbelief! They described themselves as an alt-pop singer and songwriter but the live performance was infused with rock beats and intense vocals, definitely not what you would expect if someone told you they were a pop artist!
There is a distinctive underground charm to the cellar at The Brunswick, the entrance leaves you second guessing if you are going the right way but once you got there the set performance space and energy in the room made it a place of comfort for a couple of hours. And Catlea is the key to this!
American-born singer-songwriter now based in London, Catlea has a charm which makes the whole room feel present in the moment. Their songs have so much meaning and emotional connection as they all come from personal experience, and yet the upbeat rhythms add a perfect contrast especially with the whole band playing! ‘Bones’ is the perfect song to listen to if you want to hear this unique contrast, the electric dance rhythm makes it the perfect song to move to and yet if you take a second and connect with the lyrics it hits you on a much deeper level. And I cant ignore ‘Selfish’ for the pop fans, its such a catchy song with an upbeat melody and yet the lyrics are identifying a deeply toxic situation . Maybe this is what draws us to their music, it adds the needed positivity back to situations that test our sanity.
Both of these songs are from their album released last year called Language Barrier, and if you get the chance go and have a look at the album art and see what connections you can make because its pretty interesting.
The first support act for Catlea was the lovely Marianne Leigh who is touring with them. Marianne is an emerging indie pop artist with love songs that everyone can find a bit of themselves in. She definitely reminded me of Sabrina Carpenter in her story telling and beautiful soft voice.
Oh! She also performs in a tiara, which is really just a cherry on top. Its always a challenge to perform first but with Catleas support, being right there at the front with everyone. The audience quickly joined to emerge in the magic of live music.
That’s not even all of it. I wouldn’t say that rap is my music of choice but the second support act Tom Penny has swayed me to think otherwise. And with the added vocals from Catlea, ‘Summers Done’ has become my favourite chill out song.
There are plenty more chances to catch them live! Find them here: Instagram | Facebook | Website | YouTube