BY MARK DARE
Background
Sorrel Nation is a rising UK artist at the folkier end of the Americana spectrum. Inspired by artists such as Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty and…this makes me very happy…currently inspired by Sierra Ferrell!
She is the epitome of a free spirit…travelling around the country in her 30 year old camper van, Dory, with her partner Theo.
If you’re a festival goer you’ll maybe have been lucky enough to see Sorrel live, as she’s played at over 15 festivals this year including Cambridge Folk Festival, Boomtown, Wickham and many more.
Having seen Sorrel solo acoustic earlier this year I knew it was someone I’d need to see more…her lustrous voice simply encourages repeated listening as it flows through her stories.
Her debut album, ‘Lost En Route’ is a musical animation charting poetic insights into her life as a musician on the road over the years…the friends (and loves) she’s gained and lost; the undulations of life’s extremes…real music with no fillers.
Suffice to say it comes with my highest recommendation to listen to when it’s released on Friday, 4th October!
The Venue
Opening night for the album launch was at the iconic Forum in Tunbridge Wells…it was the perfect venue (250 cap and packed pleasantly) to start the tour and is auspicious in that it has previously hosted early incarnations of, amongst others, Coldplay and Mumford and Sons; also more ‘established in their careers’ performances by Frank Turner, Keane and Rag and Bone Man.
An early start at 4pm worked out really well on this occasion, meaning I actually got home on the same day as the gig…a rare and welcome treat!
Support
The choice of supports were perfectly picked for this event.
Opening proceedings were two excellent students from the fantastic SupaJam Education initiative, an award winning education provider set up by David Court and Nick Stillwell in a dingy flooding basement in Tunbridge Wells which has now become a movement. Aimed for students aged 16-18 and 19+ who have previously fallen out of formal education and are vulnerable or disadvantaged, a truly brilliant vision where almost all go on to succeed in one form or another. It is also worthy of note that Gill Tee, Festival Director of Black Deer Festival, also attended proceedings and is heavily invested in this organisation, creating a SupaJam stage at Black Deer Festival.
Then came the much more familiar tones of Muscle shoals, Alabama, artist Hannah Aldridge, with awesome support on guitar and vocals from Katie Bates. Hannah worked her way through tracks from all her 3 albums, showcasing her Americana, Alt Country and rock prowess, and was the perfect crowd warmer for the main event, and also one I will be seeking out in the future.
Sorrel Nation and Band
Sorrel Nation – acoustic guitar and vocals
Bea Everett – Harmonies / Backing vocals
Sam Anderson – Lead Guitar
Stefan Croot – Double Bass
Simon Browne – Drums
Rhian Baroche – Keys
Theo Holder – Cello
Caelia Luniss – Violin
Sorrel came onto the stage to rapturous applause from the packed auditorium…and I do admit being equally surprised and excited to see such a large band. 8 on the stage, including the always statuesque Double Bass and it’s proud owner Stefan Croot!
Things were looking good before a note had been played…and it was about to get much, much better!
Opening the set with the two most country sounding tracks from the album, first the mid tempo saloon bar tune, ‘Old Man’ followed by Sorrel’s latest single release, and foot tapper ‘Trouble Again’…regarding some of life’s extremes, and introducing the sublime fiddle skills of Caelia Luniss.
The band were well and truly exercised and on fire after only 7 minutes of play time and it was clear to see they were no ordinary band!
Having taken 2 weeks out of all their lives to record the album at Sickroom Studios in Norfolk (with producer Owen Turner) it was blindingly obvious that they were a ‘family’ of truly accomplished and seasoned musicians. The engine room of Stefan on Double Bass and Simon on drums laying the timing and foundations for a full and expertly crafted sound.
Slowing things down a few notches, we then came to the beautiful ‘Living Free’ a soaring ballad for dreamers with the message to never give up on the passion for life, at whatever age. Sorrel’s vocals were front and centre here…crystal clear and totally captivating!
Next on the agenda, with an intricate guitar intro from Sam Anderson, was ‘Crazy For You’, Sorrel’s first release from the album. It’s a fantastic live tune…as Sorrel says “A sexy, rocky little love song that’s not so little”!
‘Slow it Down’ was next…not from the album, but a bluesy feeling tune released as a 2021 single, and showed just how versatile her voice can be.
The choice of cover song(s) played, if any….speaks volumes about the artist and their inspirations. I had hoped that Sorrel would play out her cover of ‘Who Knows Where the Time Goes’ by the late, great Sandy Denny….and was rewarded in quite some fashion.
This was released this year as both a live single by Sorrel, and on her exquisite live EP ’Thirty Summers’, and in real life was another level brilliant!
By any measuring method this is a classic folk tune of our times and I truly believe Sandy might well have applauded this version…breathtaking, and utterly haunting!
Back to the album for the rest of the set
‘Eggshells’ is another reflective tune evoking feelings of love, but ones that are littered with eggshells that you need to constantly avoid to achieve balance…and sometimes cannot, in the end, attain.
Very reminiscent of Stevie Nicks I thought, which is probably the highest praise I could give….incredible! Beautiful backing vocals by the uber talented Bea Everett, who proved to be the ideal vocal contrast and harmoniser throughout the set.
Sorrel’s ’truths’ are everywhere in this album…and like life, they can sometimes be extremely tough to traverse. It’s not a sad album per se, but it is a real set of stories. ’The Way the Wind Blows’ was written while trying to get over the loss of her beloved rescue dog, Gracie recently. They found each other, and were inextricably linked for many happy years….so this is written from a place of grief, but also from remembering those treasured times.
‘Dead Man’s Road’ was next…..a deliciously dark tale of less than wise choices….set amongst a theme of southern rock infused sounds…utilising the full band magnificently…including some thumping keys from Rhian Baroche, who gets my prize for getting carried away by the music…sat down behind an impressive keyboard array demurely for most of the set, but certainly not afraid to stand up loud and proud and pummel those ivories into sonic submission…love it!!!
‘Wild Solitude’ is another hugely personal ode to Sorrel’s reflection of life on the road, in her van, with her man…which is perhaps an opportune time to include that her partner Theo was included in the awesome band, playing a masterful cello throughout…the song is another about dreaming, living each day in real time amongst nature and under the stars….
And all too soon, we came to the final album track… ‘Lost en Route’
Sorrel explains this as a song relating to forgotten friendships….earlier she had mentioned spending 5 years living and being in a relationship in Australia. That didn’t end ideally, and feelings of not being able to subsequently keep in contact with her good friends out there because they were inextricably linked with her ex, but as she points out forcefully on the song, “It’s not my problem”
It’s a perfect track to end the album and the show, a weighty 7 minutes plus that starts out very easy on the ears and the stage is set for a gradual, yet inexorable and glorious crescendo, for which, again, lead guitarist Sam must be given much credit, although it’s another true team effort in truth…it ended the evening with sonic impressions that will last a lifetime…
The obligatory encore song was requested, nay demanded, by an eager audience not quite ready to go home yet…and we were returned once more to a 1970’s inspired southern rock cover of the Marshall Tucker band’s hit ‘Can’t You See’… another thumping song which, fittingly, is centred around travel and relationships.
In summary this was one of my favourite live music experiences, one I’ll never forget and I will be forever grateful that ‘I Was There’.
The musicianship on offer was world class, the stories were truthful to most of our journey’s through life; melancholy and sadness in the mix but also energetic and positive tones to balance. Sorrel’s vocals are seriously impressive and faultless and she’s able to mix up exquisite softness and rousing anthems at will….all in all, it’s very beguiling.
Clearly it’s also a show that I think should be witnessed by as many as possible.
The tour continues (details below, IOW Sold Out)…but if you’re unable to attend any of the remaining dates, do pick up a copy of the album when it’s released Friday, 4th October.
Bandcamp provides the best way to directly help artist out (https://sorrelnationmusic.bandcamp.com)
For all further details of Sorrel’s tour, music…and news of forthcoming events, check out
Very many thanks to the legendary Graham Jackson (www.gjartistservices.co.uk) for my first introduction to Sorrel’s music.