Lissie at The Academy | Review

Lissie the Academy 25th October 2013

Elisabeth Corrin Maurus caught our attention in 2010 with the release of her acclaimed album ‘Catching a Tiger’ under stage name Lissie. How do you pronounce it? Lizzie, Liss-ee? Who knows. Well, we do, it’s the latter.

Looking at her now, here in the Academy, she wouldn’t catch your attention at all. Dressed in jeans, a grey t-shirt and a loose plait draped on her shoulder; she could be any average woman, popping over to Tesco for milk.

This is just number one on the list of great things about her. No nipple tassles and hotpants here, just a girl giving us a few songs. The down-to-earth singer/songwriter bangs of hippy delight.

She’s just set off on her European tour and we’re all in for a treat from the get go. Bully perfectly initiates an excitable crowd to her trademark husky voice, the grunge doing wonders to that chilled-as-ice croak, as well as bringing guitarist Eric Sullivan to the surface with his grimacing guitar solo.

The set is a mix of the old and the new, with no focus on the simple ‘popular’. New album ‘Back to Forever’ recently released, glaring gospel influences layer on top of sun drenched Fleetwood Mac ditties. There’s a massive energy, but it’s cool, not excitable. Like a particularly fading Instagram filter has engulfed the whole set.

She’s having fun herself, chasing herself around the microphone while Record Collector hits the mark, the older songs appearing early on as if to get them out-of-the-way.

But she’s not just the joker. Lissie’s softer side is paraded around for the attentive audience to see on They All Want You’s fuzzy heart and Shrouds devastating harmonies. Everywhere I Go is absolutely lovely, a gentler side to the jaunty groove of the upbeat material. Her true range is on glaring display and the crowd as are engulfed as with the stuff they can proper move to.

While her genre is pretty glued to the floor, Little Lovin’s clear folksy influence, is like a splash in the face with cold water. The delicate country, and perfect backing harmonies come as a surprise after the emotional turmoil.

New stuff Love In The City, and The Habit bring a heavier rock sound to proceedings, and are brought to life excellently with dimmer lights and a determined bounce from the increasingly exhausted looking Maurus.

Current single Sleepwalking comes reminiscent of her old sound, a jump up and down kinda vibe that she adheres to, herself.

There’s nothing to dislike about Lissie’s 70s California folk sound. Nothing. Her live show dares you to suggest something, then plays over you so loud it’s null.