Hoxton’s heartaches were exposed on stage at The Macbeth in a showcase presented by organiser Breaking Sound on Friday 24 January.
Performing artists took to the mic with their own original diaristic material, carving a little key for the crowd to enter into not only new sonic soundscapes, but also the songwriters’ worlds.
The showcase was hosted at The Macbeth for the first time, featuring acts Imojen, Cloud House, Scarlet Sometimes, Felicity Henry, and Sammy Vincent.
Folk-leaning first act Henry said: “It’s really exciting and really cool to know that there are people out there who do want to put on people who have a small following and who are truly emerging artists.”
Open-mic nights are the quintessential stomping-ground of smaller artists and the perfect opportunity for musicians to test out their newest, and often unreleased, music for a smaller set of eager-eared listeners.
Breaking Sound focuses on the importance of community among musicians, and emphasises the great extent to which artists can learn from each other.
Henry said: “Once I’ve played my set, I am very excited to see all the other performers because they are further ahead than me in their careers and I’m sure I will have a lot to learn from them.
“I will be looking at their stage presence, at how they present themselves, how they talk to the audience, their lyricism, their chords, and I’m sure I will definitely learn a lot.”
Breaking Sound was founded in 2014 and connects a diverse network of artists worldwide with the mission of advocating for the unknown artist, empowering emerging talent to achieve more recognition.
Benefits extend to audience members, too, as the chance to expand one’s musical palette is too good to pass up, and has been linked to improved wellbeing and confidence.
Those in attendance were hooked at the showcase, where performances ranged from brightly dynamic to soulfully sombre, but all were bleeding with introspection from artists that each exhibited a sparkling sound that felt new and refreshing.
Henry opened the showcase with her debut single All-Consuming, which was released on Spotify at the end of last year.
Between sets at The Macbeth, the crowd was buzzing with a fever to find these artists’ profiles, searching for more ways to listen at home, to prolong the strumming just a second longer.
For an evening, Hoxton was lit up in midnight melancholia, aglow in the eerie crimson and plush purple velvet lights that painted the artists’ faces.
Stepping out of The Macbeth, choosing the soundtrack for the tube-ride home was an easy decision.
Breaking Sound organizes more than a hundred showcases featuring budding talent from around the world, and has a string of upcoming events across London.
Feature image: Kian Kingsley
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