When you’re being compared to Joni Mitchell and Sam Fender in one night, you really must be doing something right. And believe me, tonight Ellur is definitely doing a lot of things right. I hear both of these comparisons tonight though and in truth, I can’t help but agree. Ellur really is one to watch.
This is my third time seeing her live, but while on the other two occasions she’s performed with a band in front of a packed house, tonight there’s just Ellur, a guitar and around 150 of us punters in the audience. Yet, as stripped back as this gig is, Ellur truly thrives and given that she one of those artists that you really can’t take your eyes off our attention is well and truly grabbed from the off. There’s a presence and charisma that belies her years and then of course, the key ingredient is that she has the songs to back it all up.
Tonight is just a short set, but it’s still superb and while the comparisons I mentioned are completely valid, for me there’s something a bit Stevie Nicks and maybe even Suzanne Vega about Ellur in this performance. She’s got a fantastic voice and songs like ‘Yellow Light’ and ‘Your Dog’ absolutely soar with the latter being introduced as ‘a song about this guy I was dating who was an arsehole’. I mean, it’s fair to say there’s a few of them about! Then later, there’s a brilliant sing along during ‘Thank God You Tried’ where we all get to feel like part of the act!
However, it’s closing song ‘God Help Me Now’ though that really showcases Ellur’s talent. There’s both a wonderful subtlety coupled with moments of sheer c power in her voice here that you can’t help but be hooked by and the song itself is just superb. And then, having enthralled us all for far too short a time, she gives a couple of curtseys and is off.
As small as this gig has been, it feels like we’ve all been in on a bit of a moment. With an E.P. out soon and then a debut album next year, Ellur could and should really take off. If there’s any justice in the world Ellur’s star will be allowed to shine brightly in the coming year. What a privilege to see such a genuine talent up close! If you get a chance in the new year, get out and see Ellur. You can thank me later.
WORDS BY GRAHAM CROSBY
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