Gianna Lauren at Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen

“I’m Gianna Lauren and I’m from Canada”, the Halifax songstress gracefully introduced herself, standing alone and armed with nothing but an electric guitar on the stage of the humble Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen. Having recently released her second full-length record On Personhood, Gianna Lauren has became something of a patron in Halifax’s thriving collaborative music scene, and we’re about to find out why.

Launching us into her set, her warm, atmospheric guitar tones and intimate vocals soon silenced the crowd. Vocally, she resembled a contemporary Joan Baez, her crisp and sultry timbre complementing the ambient guitar that echoed around the room. Lyrically, her songs are poetic and thoughtful reflections on human behaviour, most notably in Become What You Can’t Be. Gianna’s charisma also shines through her mini anecdotes in between songs; she had the audience chuckling at her first impression of “Cornwall”, her remarks on how refreshing it was to be headlining a bill full of “cool gals” (support came from Jennie Abrahams and Rhiannon Mair) and her observation on how it “gets old” performing at festivals where “93% of the artists are male…male identified”.

A distinctive and refreshing fusion of atmospheric folk and quirky indie-rock, there is no doubt that we will be hearing a lot more from this loveable songstress, especially with On Personhood soon being set for release in the UK.

Gemma Whitfield
Photo: @ForwardMusic

For further information about Gianna Lauren and future events visit here.

Watch the video for Standstill here: