Excitement fills the Metrocola venue as Nieve Ella enter the stage. They are one of the first bands to play the Sound City festival this year, and I am intrigued to see what they bring to the table.
A few technical issues arose during the set, so Ella cracks some jokes to pass the time. The venue has a charming aesthetic – plants are hanging from the ceiling, creating a calm and cosy atmosphere. There is also a small bar adjacent to the stage where most people are stood at, and I can’t blame them.
With the technical issues fixed, the band begin the set with ‘Blu Shirt Boy.’ It is instantly giving me Clairo vibes with the chill, laidback tone, and angelic vocals. There is a youthful indie feel to Nieve Ella, and they collectively assimilate a lively, fun aura. The instrumentation is simple but effective – managing to interlace gentle drumming and mellow guitar chords to create a chilled out but fun vibe.
Next up is ‘Fall 4 U’. The song starts off slow in the first verse with a lovely chord progression on guitar, paired with a graceful vocal. Building up to the chorus, you could hear it amping up a notch with the pace of the drums. This led to an explosion of sound now – with the drums, guitar, and bass are feeling heavier, matching the angsty lyrics.
‘Big House’ was unequivocally their best song of the set. Charisma was radiating the room, while the band engage with the audience, allowing them to dance to their heart’s content. The imagery in the lyricism is extremely well put together, in the sense of telling a story. You can almost envisage you are in the song, which I found incredibly immersive. There is a captivating guitar solo during the last chorus that left me in awe, and kept me in the moment and away from the worries of everyday life.
The band give us a sneaky preview of their new unreleased song, ‘His Sofa.’ The first thing that stood out to me was the guitar arpeggios, creating a foundation for the remainder of the song. There are elements of Soccer Mommy in the emotive lyrics and soft vocals, making it feel quite sentimental. The middle 8 is polished with an isolated vocal, then straight into a groovy instrumental chorus.
Finishing the set with ‘Girlfriend,’ made for a satisfying conclusion to their performance. It is a combination between ‘Fall 4 U’ in terms of instrumentation, but lyrically similar to ‘Blu Shirt Boy’. There are dreamy guitar effects, beautiful vocal harmonies, and an off-beat drum pattern throughout.
Nieve Ella strum their last chord of the set and leave the stage in style. I feel inspired by this upcoming band, and I am excited to see what they have in store for us in the years to come.
By Jemma Forbes
