Zoë Wren and Jasmine Watkiss are the duo who come together as Roswell Road, a London-based Americana duo who are multi-instrumentalists who blend close harmonies with candid storytelling, drawing on real experiences from mental health to family love to real-life activist adventures at sea. They arrive in the leafy suburbs of Kings Heath on what was originally the penultimate date of a nine date tour in support of their debut album ‘Rebel Joy’ which was released in March.
Special guest Geneviève Racette is a highly acclaimed folk-pop musician from Québec who is known for her vulnerable lyricism and ethereal vocals. Her fourth full-length album, `Golden`, was released in October 2024, and recently rereleased in a deluxe format, a luminous and introspective record shaped by resilience and growth.
Joining Geneviève tonight were her friends Judith Little on percussion and backing vocals and Éléonore Pitre on guitar and backing vocals. The show begins with `Maybe` which seems to be about indecision and putting up with somebody whom you`re not sure really wants you. There`s similar sentiment with `Same Old Me` from her last release which is saturated with self-doubt and insecurity about the pressure to be “the best version of yourself” and theimpossibility of achieving that. What becomes clear early on is the sheer honesty that this artist shares about her life and the fears and anxieties that she and we all endure.
`Sans Toi` which appears to translate to `without you` is a song sung in French about missing someone from her 2018 album `No Water, No Flowers` album, a ballad which she was encouraged to cut from the album but wouldn`t and has now become Geneviève`s most streamed song with around two million hits. `Instagram` was written during covid and addresses our addiction to social media. We enjoy a new song `Je Rends Les Armes` or let go, i`m done which gets it`s live debut tonight.
`Common Denominator` is an amusing tale of dating a narcissist, the painful realisation that someone who always plays the victim might, in fact, be the problem. `X2` is a brutally honest account of the struggles of sobriety as the singer shares that she has been alcohol free for nine years now. `Lignes De Ma Main` or `the lines of my hands` is the final number from this trio before Roswell Road are asked to join for a final song `I Hope It Hurts`. This was a wonderful introduction for me to this French Canadian artist and not only did we have a set full of at times heartwarming and at times heartbreaking tunes, but we were also allowed a glimpse at the meaning behind them. Geneviève has a delightful vocal delivery which is a balance of vulnerability and strength. Birmingham has yet to awake to her charms but it felt as if we had a tiny preview before the UK finally gets on board.
Roswell Road arrive in Brum on what was originally their penultimate show that has spread across March, April and finally May in support of their recently released debut album `Rebel Joy` which was produced by acclaimed producers and indie folk rock songwriters The Dunwells. The duo open with `End of The Line` which is about this crazy world we live in and what hits you first is the harmonisation between Zoë and Jasmine on this quite dreamy offering.
`Back Row` comes from the latest release and again it`s a fairly harmonic dreamy listen. `Can`t Take My Soul` is the girls angry song written with the Dunwells before we enjoy a slight change of pace with `Let Myself Be Still` which had some sweet violin hues and is about the life of a touring musician and it`s difficulties and complexities.
There`s a cover of The Cranberries classic `Dreams` which I thought was a brave move as Dolores O’Riordan had the voice on an angel but I have to admit it was exquisite and the duo passed it off with real aplomb. We have another cut from `Rebel Joy` with `Island Citizen` before what Jasmine describes as a sea shanty with `Bolder` a number about her exploits with Greenpeace. The pair manage to encourage this intimate crowd to join in on the chorus of “Bolder Bolder” and “Bolder Braver” before we hear the entertaining `Weirdo at the Party` where you won`t find Jasmine in the kitchen as she`ll already have left!!! The final number as a duo is `Holy Mountain` written about Zoë`s cool parents who backpacked around Asia before they had children and apparently were at times running from the law.
Geneviève and Judith join the singers for a final almost A capella version of `Arabella` which refers to Zoë`s sister`s struggles, a quite moving number with an underlying message of hope.
The evening was a joy to behold with two sets of musicians who were wonderfully talented and have obviously become good friends. A night of joyful, harmony-obsessed Americana and wonderful folk rock sang in both English and French. It was a pity that there weren`t more to witness this superb evening but for those of us that made the effort it was a stunning evening that will stick in the memory for a long time to come.
