So Fe

The Den at Micklegate Social, York

23 November 2024

I've been listening to So Fe with the Joshua Burnell Band for years, so I know she has a beautiful voice. And I have heard a handful of her own songs before, so I know she writes the kind of songs I like. But beyond that, I'm not sure what to expect from this, her first solo headlining gig. I think I'm expecting some acoustic numbers, piano ballads, nice soothing stuff like that. So when Welcome to my World, the title track of her upcoming debut album, opens with thumping electronic percussion and distorted electric guitar, I'm genuinely surprised. But it's a pleasant surprise to find there are more stylistic strings to her bow than I realised.

It's not all like that, though. There are the piano ballads and soft numbers. It's a very diverse set. The common element is lyrical—her songs typically carry strong, and it seems very personal, messages about weightly matters such as mental health, and she makes sure to explain to us the story or feeling behind each song.

The Den is a cosy venue with big comfy couches for seating, and is comfortably filled by a crowd that I suspect are mostly friends and family. The stage isn't massive, leading to occasional questions about where to place a music stand, but really it's big enough for three performers. And the sound is surprisingly good for a small venue. The only real negative is the obnoxiously loud dance music bleeding from the floor above and competing with the quieter numbers. It's not ideal, but the musicians handle it with good humour.

With Joshua Burnell on piano, guitar, and backing vocals, and Nathan Greaves on electric guitar, electronic percission, and extra keyboards, it's basically 50% of the Joshua Burnell Band on stage tonight. But the songwriting leaves us in no doubt that it's So Fe's show. It couldn't be anything else when the songs feel this personal. (And Josh quite rightly says, "It's your gig" every time she turns to him for inspiration.)

Aside from the style of music, the other question I had was how she would fill a headline set (and she sings for almost a full two hours, over-running the advertised finish time) with just one EP's worth of songs. She actually sings seven or eight of her own songs, and of course a few fitting covers: one by Renaissance, one by Tori Amos, and a couple of others I don't know. But her tackling Annie Haslam and Tori Amos with equal ease gives you some idea where her voice lies.

And I suppose inevitably, there are some Joshua Burnell songs ("Do you want to say something about this one, Josh?" "It's your gig"). I had a short list of two songs I thought/wished she would sing, and she sings both: The Skylark and the Oak and Run with Me (the latter being, for me personally, his most beautiful song).

Surprisingly, I'm not going to list either of those as the highlights of the set, though. That honour goes to her own song Charades, where Nathan delivers a beautiful Gilmour-like solo, and especially to the magnificent So Say the Crows, which I personally think is her best song. It's on Youtube, look it up.

Overall an excellent debut show, which I hope leads to many more.