The Solo One with EDDE Richard Lilje @ Four5Nine
w/ Charlie Wilde, Elle Clover, Paige Forster
Sunday, September 23, 2018
The Rosemount Hotel was buzzing. The bitter scent of beer and chips filled the atmosphere with such familiar delight. With the The Solo One was happening quietly in the Four5Nine, most people were pouring in and out of the main room with Hockey Dad taking the stage. It was hard to tell how this was all going to work, seeing that a surf rock gig was going on right beside a quiet, intimate one. Surprisingly enough, the heavy guitars and loud drums could not be heard from the Four5Nine at all.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, headliner EDDE was unable to perform, and so Richard Lilje stepped in at the last minute to fill in for her.
To describe opener Paige Forster is like describing a sunflower – she smiled very brightly. She was first to grace the stage in a lovely knitted shawl, which perfectly complemented her voice, gentle and sweet. There was a strong attack in the guitar which unfortunately masked her voice sometimes, but it still provided a strong rhythm and feel to the whole set. We went from one familiar strum pattern to the next, including an even more stripped down and sweeter version of It’s All Okay by Julia Stone.
To be perfectly honest, it felt a little bit awkward sometimes when the sound guy didn’t play some tunes immediately after the sets ended. It’s like having a 10 second silence in the middle of a dance.
Wow – Elle Clover has a strong voice. I wish there was more to say about it, but “wow” is the only way I could possibly describe it. Her strong sense of rhythm shone through her guitar playing. She had such attitude when performing and it made the audience want to dance. That being said, if she performs this well alone, I can’t wait to see what she and her band can do.
It was as if Charlie Wilde didn’t stop playing. The way he strummed his guitar, whose name is Coconut by the way, made it seem as if every gap of silence was filled with some delightful sounds. His naturally high voice made reaching every high note sound so easy. The atmosphere changed completely with his supportive friends singing along and swaying back and forth, filling the floor in front of the stage with so much love. He even dedicated a cover to his friend for his birthday (Happy Birthday, Attilla!).
There was something about Richard Lilje’s warm voice that created a friendly feeling around the room. The emotion that Richard projected through his music was heavily contrasted with the comedic introductions, making the set an array of emotion! There was a lot of depth involved in every song, and the strong beats and full tones were steadily paced throughout. The set ended on a delightful and more upbeat note, a good way to leave the audience smiling. Kudos to Richard for stepping in at the last minute to finish the gig!
I cannot wait to see where these artists blossom to in the future. The environment that night was simply lovely and everyone performed to their fullest, despite having a small audience. It all felt like one, big, supportive musical family, bundled into a beautiful bouquet.
GERMAINE PNG
Photos by Adrian Thomson
