On a shimmering Friday night in London, Marie Naffah played a heartfelt set to The Waiting Room. The London-based singer-songwriter has had an impressive run the past few years, selling out venues across London and gaining a steadfast fanbase while doing so. After playing a show to the iconic Lafayette this past November, Marie appreciated the more intimate size of The Waiting Room, interacting with familiar faces and engaging with the crowd between each track.
Marie kicked it off with the funky ‘The Cage’ – a fan favourite that immediately pushed the crowd to get involved. It was hard not to grin watching the entire room clapping along to the chorus. It just so happened that the gig fell on International Women’s Day, and Marie joked about being the only female on stage, surrounded by her male band. She goes on to say that she’s lucky, she has a “band of brothers around making sure I’m alright.” The support and excitement radiating from the members of Marie’s band was palpable, the overall joy the artists felt playing live shining through.
The nostalgic and longing ‘Run Away With Me’ slides in next with a soft electric guitar and the smooth glide of Marie’s vocals. This slower tune surprisingly excited the crowd and Marie was beaming as ‘Run away with me / I know you well and wanna be a wild thing…’ was sang loudly back to her. This track is featured on her second EP, Trains, as well as ‘I Want More’, a personal favourite that was even better live. ‘I Want More’ is a lyrically impressive song written about Marie’s craving for live music during the pandemic, although the lyrics are dynamic and applicable to many different experiences. The beauty of great songwriting!
Marie achieved the sweetest accomplishment during her live performance: playing a hit and hearing her lyrics roared back, while later on down the set, being offered complete silence during an unreleased one. Marie played quite a few songs from her upcoming debut album, Mother of Pearl, that is set to release this summer, already garnering great excitement from her fans. One of these was ‘Loving You (Tenderly),’ a euphoric track that celebrates all-consuming love. Even though unknown to the crowd at the time, the energy was excited and swaying, supported by the prevalent drums and funky bass. This track alludes to the impressive lyricism and production we can expect from the new album.
Heading towards the end of the set, the upbeat and hopeful ‘Honey’ was next, a dream-pop track reminiscent of Florence + The Machine. The energy in the room was nothing short of blissful, a contagious feeling that truly made those four minutes feel inexplicably special. The set closed with well-earned applause and cheers for Marie and her band, who were all exceptional.
London dwellers – Marie Naffah will next be performing an intimate show at Yucatan Bar on April 13th. Get your tickets here.
