LIVE REVIEW: Georgia Johnson @ ARCHIVE

Georgia Johnson headlined a sold out show at ARCHIVE in Liverpool on Thursday night, taking to the stage after four other excellent artists from a range of genres had warmed up the crowd. Accompanied by a cellist/banjo player, drummer, lead guitarist, bassist and trumpet player, Georgia Johnson and her band captivated the room at the cosy and intimate venue, but you could easily imagine them selling out much larger venues with their dazzling stage presence. Georgia was clearly beloved by the crowd, even taking the time to dedicate one of her songs to a friend in the crowd - there wasn’t a dry eye in the house after that one!

Georgia’s announcement that this was her first gig in six months surprised me, as her comfortability onstage and clear love for performing shone throughout the gig, bringing energy back to the audience two hours into the gig. Georgia’s music is impossible not to dance to, accompanied by a talented guitarist playing riffs that have been stuck in my head since the gig. 

Introducing her song ‘Bearhug’ that has now been out for a year by telling her audience that despite what society might tell you, “you can be whoever you want to be”, Georgia and her band quickly brought us into their musical world with warm, summery guitars and stunning vocal harmonies with her cellist Grace (who also played the banjo!) 

Some songs were clear fan favourites from the crowd, with audience members singing along to every track even though some of them haven’t even been released yet, with one in the process of being recorded this month. This was Georgia’s first time playing this song (that’s so new it doesn’t even have a fixed title yet), something that might make other artists nervous, but Georgia and her band launched into it with confidence and a clear passion for the music they had created, commenting that “It’s not meant to be perfect, it’s about having fun.”

Despite the size and power of her band, Georgia was also unafraid to let her vocals shine alone with just her guitarist in accompaniment, and also didn’t shy away from getting vulnerable in both her lyrics and introductions to her songs. On the setlist were songs dedicated to her dog (who she has an adorable tattoo of) and also her late grandad. In a stunning and heartwarming tribute to her grandad, Georgia stated that “I love that I get to talk about him- he deserves to be celebrated” before lyrically charting the stages of grief and ending the song by screaming into the crowd as a final release. 

My personal favourite on the setlist and the song they chose to end the gig with was ‘There’s a Beach in Vienna’, with the trumpet and cello playing in the outro giving the song a cinematic, orchestral feel that sets not only this track but also the entire band apart from artists in similar genres. 

If you get the opportunity to see Georgia Johnson and her band live I would highly recommend going- hopefully her next gig is sooner than 6 months away!