[IN THE CROWD] An Intimate and Soulful Evening With Lizmnk

Once you start going to a fair amount of shows and gigs, you slowly start noticing over time, that some shows are a bit too similar. Minimal talking, a strict set list and usually not much room with any improvisation or personality allowed to shine through. This however, was not the case with lizmnk’s single launch party at The Old Queens Head in Islington. 

I’ve got to hand it to the artist: she always manages to play venues that perfectly match her musical atmosphere. This was a very unassuming venue with 3 floors and connecting hallways; at one point I was worried I wandered into the wrong pub. Ending up in the green room, I found lizmnk preparing for her show. In her own words she was “Stressed but really excited to perform and show off what I’ve been working so hard on”, all while having a huge smile on her face as her band contemplate stage outfits with the occasional boogie. 

Before the show started I found my way into the live room, a lavish and fairly sized venue with chic red leather booths and a stunning main stage with a rustic charm. There was a real level of warmth to this venue, which is perfect for an artist like lizmnk. The support act Yaz absolutely shone through her relatively small set. Aided by only her pianist, she vocally soared through the evening, perfectly complimenting the delicate piano ballads unfolding. She also played homage to her Palestinian roots with two absolutely disarming covers in Arabic, holding notes like it was nothing. As far as support acts go, she got the crowds undivided attention and prepared them for the main act, all the while gaining a few new fans along the way. 

Half an hour later, its lizmnk’s time to shine. She steps on stage with her 6-piece band, and within an instant, she’s captivating the audience. Breezy, humorous talk fills out the space between her songs, the joy in her face and body language is undeniable. She begins the show with a strong spoken word poetry segment, discussing class divide, ecological struggles and governments failing their people: “Where do the people go? See, I dreamed of saving the world. Now I feel this world is a cage, with a psychological key that is predetermined by a council from hell.”. It's hard hitting and impactful, which is exactly where her songwriting lies, eloquent and full of intent. 

As ‘Message From Above’ begins to unfold, her verses roll off the tongue like melted butter, the crowd is swaying in utter sync and the band is firing on all cylinders. I just cannot understate how tight knit the connection was between lizmnk and her band. There’s was a strong feeling of love and respect in the room that evening, connecting everyone. A medley of her tracks ‘Grounded’ and ‘Just desserts’ was equally as satisfying, with the transition into the latter song feeling like they were always performed together. Veering towards the end of the evening, the singles that everyone arrived to celebrate: ‘Sun Is My Lover’ and ‘Mirage’ debuted this evening, and what a treat that was. The songs were translated pitch perfectly onto the stage, with no room for error. The rich crooning vocals of ‘Sun Is My Lover’ echoed through the venue. ‘Mirage’ specifically being the last song, got the entire crowd onto the dance floor grooving, with even the bar staff being unable to keep still.

As she verges into the last notes and bids the crowd good evening, I catch her just before leaving, and gesture her towards the crowd behind us. A wide variety of people from every walk of life gathered to witness a new rising star in the uk music scene. As you can surely tell, she was chuffed. lizmnk didn’t let any of the people that helped arrange this fantastic night go unnoticed either, which again highlighted the sense of community and respect that completely surrounded the evening. This was a strong and inviting evening of powerful and soulful performances, headed by a truly next generation talent who I really implore you to go and experience live. 

This also leads me into one last point: Grassroots venues like The Old Queens Head are a lifeline for musicians big and small. Without these stages to allow these artists to grow in their music as well as with audiences, the music scene would be incredibly dire indeed. So this is a request from me to whoever is reading this: go and spend that £10 that would’ve got you a pint and go see some live shows in your local venues. You never know who you might discover.