Despite the dismal turnout of just three fans, Izzy Bizu and her band performed as if she was playing in front of a sell out crowd. However, after singing vibrant vocals and punchy choruses, she certainly earned some new fans.
Izzy’s first song was a cover of Amy Winehouse’s classic ‘Tears Dry On Their Own.’ Her dark, soulful voice fit the song perfectly but her voice was less smoky than Amy Winehouse, and more innocent. The accompaniment of the Cajon drum box gave the song a more upbeat vibe than the original, while still conveying the pain of the lyrics in chorus. The guitarist slowed down and the drumming became slower and quieter, as Izzy sang ‘He walks away, the sun goes down.’
Her next song was ‘Hit the High Road,’ from the album ‘Coolbeanz,’ is a jazzier and more upbeat song. The guitarist, drummer and Izzy herself all swayed in time, and her floating lyrics of ‘Hit the highroad baby,’ in the chorus over the sound of the Cajon drum box.
‘Floating Lamps,’ followed, off her new album A Moment of Madness. This calming and more sensual track is my favourite off the album, and it was the best song live for me. As ‘Floating Lamps,’ has a slower tempo than the other tracks, one could hear the lyrics more clearly, and they are more poetic than other lyrics. Perhaps the best line is ‘All I know is you, and how you make me feel, with the floating lamps, let me reveal…’
The final track was Izzy’s most well known track, ‘White Tiger.’ The song starts slow with Izzy’s lyrics lofty above a low tempo drum and quiet guitar and then there’s a sudden injection of energy. The incredibly catchy chorus got members of the audience joining in and the final applause showed she had wooed some unsuspecting coffee drinkers to be her fans.
Just from her short set, it was easy to see why Vevo Uk recently voted Izzy the one to watch for 2016. Tickets for her UK tour in January are out now.
Jack Redley
