“Sad girl indie” has been bubbling under on the indie charts the past few years, with major artists such as Lucy Dacus and Soccer Mommy surfacing as stars in the subgenre. On Thursday, July 14th at the New Brookland Tavern in West Columbia, Columbia’s version of the “sad girl” scene took the stage in a show that featured Maddie Turner, Lola Grace, Kat Gandy, and Death Ray Robin.
Maddie Turner’s set put the spotlight on her calming voice, evoking Phoebe Bridgers in ways besides covering songs of hers such as “Scott Street”. While newer to the music scene of Columbia, Maddie possesses the stage presence of a much more seasoned performer. Her personality surfaced best between songs, as she kept the audience laughing and reacting to what she had to say.
Lola Grace, of Stardust Motel, has a powerful voice reminiscent of Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine). Her set included songs that drew from her own life experiences such as finding true love; the one that you know will be there for you, and expressing those feelings in ways only young lovers can. The show came ahead of the release of her new single, “Reconsider”, and as a special treat for the audience, she not only included songs written as a solo artist but solo renditions of music from Stardust Motel’s discography such as “Starcrossed Lovers”.
Kat Gandy is usually seen in Outerego or as part of Paisley and the Birdwalkers; the airiness of her voice gives her songs a layered, organic feel even in the world of impersonal stage amplification. Starting out with a cover of the iconic “Running Up That Hill”, recently made relevant and popular again via its inclusion in the show “Stranger Things,” Kat followed that opening statement with a set of her original music created as a solo artist and also from her other musical endeavors. Her skill with the various pieces of musical technology on stage created the illusion that there were three copies of Kat harmonizing along in the background, lending her set an intricately arranged, ethereal quality.
Death Ray Robin has a personality and stage presence that commands attention all on its own. While often backed by a full band, this show was all about Desirée herself as she took the stage with only her voice and her keyboard. Her vocals leave room for plenty of vulnerability and passion to shine through on songs such as, “Boss Babe (You Can Have It)”.
The ambiance of New Brookland Tavern helped bolster the effects of these performers on the audience as well, with monochromatic lighting moving over the singers and listeners, connecting them in a single ray of light as if they were the one person being sung to directly.
Regardless of what you call it, and whether it’s truly sad or just emotionally raw and open, the kind of indie appeal that even local artists like these have is apparent in the rapt audience attention and their own passionate delivery of their original material.
