Roxanne de Bastion
With the venue set out differently to many gigs I’ve seen at the Brook, the all-seated evening had a wonderfully relaxed feel to it from the start. It was also a pleasant change to see an all-female line-up. The headliner for this gig was the wonderfully talented Roxanne de Bastion.
With roots that spread from the West Midlands to Berlin, Roxanne’s sound is difficult to pigeonhole. However, her talent is undeniable.
This multi-instrumentalist writes from the heart, her songs have feeling, and she performs them with the same. On stage, Roxanne gave the audience just enough information to connect with the lyrics, rather than going off at tangents, as some Artists tend to do. Her stage craft was a joy to watch. Seeming to take the time to connect with the whole audience and construct the show around the feedback she received. She knew the right time to get the audiences voices into the action and obviously enjoyed the response from the small but very attentive crowd.
Roxanne switched effortlessly between producing evocative effects on her electric guitar and singing ballads at the keyboards. At the end of the show, once she had finished her set list, and the obligatory encore, the audience clearly still wanted more. So, to finish the evening, Roxanne played a song that she’d never played live before. One that was inspired by chords from a song that her late Father wrote. It was wonderful to be part of something so emotive for her and that she clearly enjoyed playing for the first time at a gig. After the show, Roxanne took the time to come down and speak with her fans and to give all the time they wanted of her.
If you have a chance to see Roxanne de Bastion live, I would certainly recommend it.
Photos and Review by: Peter Nicholson
(Photos: Copyright Peter Nicholson Photography 2022)
