Not too many people are familiar with the names Marina Allen and Kacey Johansing. At least that’s what a disappointingly small, though highly appreciative turn-out for this show might suggest. But for those who didn’t make it down to the Crescent this evening, they missed a wonderful, intimate concert featuring two supremely talented, Los Angeles-based artists.
Kacey Johansing takes to the stage first, accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Tim Ramsey, her partner, one-half of the Southern Californian duo Parting Lines, and a man who has previously played with Vetiver and Fruit Bats. Together they retrace some of Johansing’s steps to her last two albums, 2020’s No Better Time, represented here by ‘Time Lapse Flower’ and ‘Even A Lot Feels Like Nothing’, and The Hiding from two years earlier whose immersive title track concludes an enchanting, expressive performance. Johansing also looks to the future with a couple of new songs, ‘Daffodils’ and ‘Year Away’, both of which are destined for her next album and are invested with new horizons and an optimism for whatever may lie ahead. An exquisite cover of Little Wings’ ‘Darkened Car’ completes what is a perfectly balanced set.
Kacey Johansing and Tim Ramsey’s work for the night is far from done, though, as they join Marina Allen for the latter stages of her set. By then Allen has already treated us to half a dozen songs, each one showcasing the honesty, insight, and sparkling expanse of her songwriting. Drawing from material on her two albums – the 2021 debut Candlepower and last year’s imperious follow-up, Centrifics – Allen delights us with her unassuming gentle charm, her lyricism, and her unwavering ability to craft a great tune.
The Crescent this evening is set out in cabaret-style seating and Marina Allen speaks of “singing into a candlelit void…but in a good way”. She is clearly enjoying the warmth and intimacy of the occasion on this her first visit to York and her performance responds accordingly. ‘Halfway Home’ and ‘Getting Better’ sound alive, brimming with confidence and joy. In concert, they break free of any shackles that the studio may have imposed upon them and begin to fully realise Marina Allen’s capacity as a forward-thinking songwriter.
Photos: Simon Godley
More photos from this concert are HERE