Long Read - Maxwell Varey on his London debut show....
A buzz ricocheted within the crowd on Thursday night (January 26th) in anticipation of the evening’s performances. Maxwell Varey took the stage for his debut London show at the Old Blue Last in Shoreditch for the Source showcase. As one of the city's many historic live music venues, what better place to grace the stage for the first time than here, and Varey undoubtedly earned his spot beside those who came before, and those who will come after him.
Beginning the set with original song Ain't It Funny, Maxwell quickly brought the crowd on side with the up-tempo, glam rock tune. The set followed a natural progression of unreleased gems by Maxwell ranging from airy, thoughtful tracks such as Don't Wait to hip-swaying, head-banging track Falling Down, the lead single from Maxwell's upcoming debut EP. Varey's performance was one of a seasoned professional, hardly that of a newcomer; brief but warm interactions with the crowd between songs was a personal highlight, demonstrating his natural-born ability to entertain.
In conversation with Maxwell, I asked him about his personal musical influences: “production wise I’d say… Tame Impala, Kaytranada, the Neptunes. Lyrically…Alex Turner…Kurt Cobain.” It is clear that the young Wigan artist takes musical inspiration from a plethora of sources, and this translates into the music. In terms of inspiration more generally, Maxwell says this: “…the satisfaction and relief that creating a body of work where I can fully commentate on my own life and… surroundings while sonically building something layer by later that I want to hear…is what inspires me…it feels like a really natural process that’s part of who I am.”
Born and raised just outside of Manchester, Varey is a proud northerner, paying respect to the Mancunian sound that first fed him his appetite for music: "I grew up in a very musical house so I was surrounded by great music from a young age...when I started to play guitar at six or seven, I also discovered my own taste for a wide range of music from red hot chilli peppers and grunge bands like nirvana...from there I've got into most majorly successful artists in indie, rock, pop, dance and hip hop just to soak up as much as I can..." Maxwell’s music pays homage to the great staples of the alternative/ indie genre whilst entwining an original sound unlike what we’ve heard before. Combining a sophisticated lyricism beyond his years with enjoyable and layered instrumentation, Watching Varey's set was like watching the genesis of Oasis meet Sam Fender; and it was spectacle to behold.
The showcase, promoted by Live Nation, was in anticipation of Varey's debut single and EP, the rollout which we should be expecting to see in the upcoming months. When asked what he would want people to feel about his music, Varey had this to say: "when writing I really try to be quite metaphorical about the topics so that anyone can interpret my lyrics into emotions and experiences into their own life...I like to look at lyrics as poetry that you can dissect."
It is clear that Maxwell Varey is certainly on the ones to watch list of 2023, and we should be expecting great things from him to come.
Feature by Laura Maxwell
Photo Credit - Barnaby Fairley
