I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: March 20, 2019] Fenne Lily

I was unfamiliar with Fenne Lily before this show.  I looked her up and found that she was a British singer-songwriter who wrote some pointed lyrics.  And frankly, I found out very little else.  Even after the show.  I’m not even sure if Fenne Lily is her real name.  But it’s all irrelevant, because she was a delight.

She came out onstage with a guitar and a co-conspirator named Joe.  Joe played leads to Fenne Lily’s chords (she had all kinds of interesting tunings on her guitar, which, although time-consuming, was certainly appreciated as it left lots of time for amusing stories.  And Fenne Lily had lots of them.

She told us that she has self-released her album last year. She had done everything by herself.  It was like her baby.  And now, after some time she is sick of it, just like a real child.  I’m very excited to hear what her next album will sound like as the new songs were terrific.

Introducing one song, she told us about the boyfriend who inspired “I, Nietzsche” (he used to walk around saying “we” when he referred to himself and Nietzsche believing the same thing–“And he’s not even published…or dead”). She also liked that “I, Nietzsche” rhymed with “I need ya.”

A different boyfriend inspired “I Used to Hate My Body But Now I Just Hate You.”  She originally thought of it as a jokey song, but now realizes there’s more to it.  It was great.  This song had open tuning, which I’d never seen someone use so extensively before.  And I love that she had to move the capo (which she pronounced cap-o) in order to accommodate the key change.  She said she played the song for her mum over skype and her mum cried.  And then the screen froze with her crying.  So she too a screen grab and promises that will be the single’s cover.

I enjoyed that she several as-yet unnamed songs which she shared with us.  There’s one song in which she uses an American word that she told us she would never say.  Her mum hates that she uses it in the song. “See if you recognize it and if you do raise your hand.  No, don;t, I hate audience participation.”

I loved the sound of her guitar–a gentle strummed echo as she sang “Car Park.”  In fact, most of her songs were fairly mellow (on record she has a drummer and even said for one of the songs, “If you’re bored, imagine a math rock drum beat on this one).

But I also loved the simple, delightful riff on this song.

I love when an unknown opening act proves to be so good.