You'd think that after a weekend of catching up on the Glastonbury live shows on the red button (other coloured buttons are available) you'd think that I'd be sick to the back teeth of music but after a particularly tough day in the office, I found an invite in my inbox for a show at the Barrel House in the heart of Totnes to catch a musician called Lily.....armed with absolutely no information about this rising star, I headed into town.

TBH was unusually well attended for a Thursday night, was Lily a force to be reckoned with or were people just keen to get out and enjoy a live show? I guess only time would tell!

Daniel Marcus Clark opened the evening with his brooding, dark and subdued guitar work, coupled with his smoky vocals, he certainly drew you into his world. His gentle finger-picked guitar work was accentuated with occasional explosive angular flourishes which snapped you out of the trance that he put you under. 

Joined by a drummer from the second track (Sam Walker), his music morphed into an almost calypso vibe, the track trundling along nicely in a jaunty kind of way and I relished the thought of a bongo being introduced to embellish it even further.  The tempo remained as his set continued, I was falling in love with his baritone vocals which graced some brilliant licks and riffs.

His songs fused so many styles, bluesy laid-back vibes coupled with a lush soulful backdrop that intrigued this listener from start to finish. 

I love to see a healthy-looking pedalboard on the stage and whilst I can't tell you the difference between most of their functions, they sounded fabulous working together in the same way that the guitar, vocals and drums gelled together on stage.

His songs were like a roller coaster, the tempo rolled up and down, the quieter, slower sections demanded your undivided attention whilst the busier, more hectic passages allowed you to let your hair down and take yourself away whilst he controlled the pace.

Music is magical, some might say its food for the soul and after a hectic day at the office, I was able to come and let my hair down, feeling the stress lift from my shoulders...

Daniel mentioned towards the end of his set that he has no online presence at all which I found surprising as this is pretty much the only way that a musician can get their music out to the masses, he added that he might take the plunge one day and get organised, I really hope he does as there are millions of people out there who otherwise, will never be able to witness his art and that makes me sad.

Lily took to the stage to a massive reception; she clearly has a great local following and it appeared that the majority of her fan club were here tonight! Somehow, Lily and her band (6 piece in all) managed to fit on the stage, complete with bass guitar, electric guitar, drums and 2 backing singers.

Her silky-smooth soulful tones felt like a spoonful of manuka honey sliding down your gullet and loosening everything on the way, this was very palatable music that reminded me of carefree lazy summer days without any set agenda other than to let the warm breeze whistle through your hair as you while away the day...

‘Glad I Met You’ took the tempo down, allowing Lily's honey-tinged vocals to seep deep into your unconscious. It’s worth adding at this stage of the show that bass, guitar and drums sounded on point and worked together so well. The backing singers created a beautiful sonic bed onto which Lily laid her voice. 

Lily played a new song which was themed around time, the guitar sounded ‘jazzy’ which really suited her sound, she followed this with a cover by an artist called Yebba and then took to the piano (without the band) to play ‘April Showers in May’ which she introduced as a ‘relationshippy sort of song….when you like someone etc….) 

Rowland (guitars) joined her onstage for a couple of French songs, she introduced them as old ones but wanted to bring them back as they worked really well... these took me to a small chic bar off the main drag of a parisenne street where the staff wore berets and people smoked filter less cigarettes whilst sipping pernod and vin rouge, I have no idea what she was singing about but it sounded great! 

‘Je Veux’ or ‘I want’ (in English) was about wanting the simple things in life as opposed to materialistic objects which is a refreshing thing to see a young musician singing about, clearly she has been bought up well! 

For me, the sign of a great chanteuse is when you peel away their backing band, leaving them naked and at the mercy of the room. Tonight saw Lily perform solo on her keyboard, with her guitarist and with her full band and I don't think you could take anything away from her, the performance was exquisite.

‘I Don't Worry at All’ sounded sublime with just her and the acoustic guitar, I wondered how different it would have sounded with the full band? I guess I might find out in the future. ‘She Ran’ was a much folkier affair, not her usual writing style but sounded great all the same, distinct guitar and a lovely ‘mmm mmm’ section that allowed for a little audience participation which was great to see. 

Lily introduced her new track that was released on 30th June it’s called 'Cupid' and is available via all the usual streaming outlets. Somewhat of a slow burner, it’s a laid back number with some great vocal harmonies to get involved in. Lily closed the show with a track called ‘Penny’ which saw some dancers up showing their moves, this is a very ‘pop’ track which sounded extra special with Lily's soulful vocals.

If you missed this show, you can catch Lily and her band supporting Dan Whitehouse on July 13th at St Mary's Church in Totnes, check the socials for more information.