Live Review: Morgan Harper Jones - Folklore Rooms, Brighton 04/04/2024
Morgan Harper-Jones dazzles Brighton in cosy, enchanting performance.
Morgan Harper-Jones is one of the brightest young musicians in the UK, whose portfolio ranges from minimalistic, softly layered production to covers of 80s pop hits with a bright twist.
Releasing her first EP in 2020, Breathe saw a critical reception for her work straight away with the cover of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” being featured later on in Netflix film Love at First Sight, a cameo which seems to have introduced many to her exquisite songwriting.
To the wholesome Folklore Rooms venue, a stage decorated in plants and charming lighting, Harper-Jones introduced the two opening acts of the night which included the humorously intoxicating acoustic display of singer/songwriter Mukkali, followed by the heartfelt and sincere performance of Gateway Girl who left some of the crowd rambling about their talents as they waited for the main set.
Thirty minutes later, she introduced herself once more to the crowd before taking a cassette tape and placing it into the player which was set behind her, a clicking sound which surely induced a moment of nostalgia amongst those watching.
Layering a few pitched vocals atop one another, “Alone With You” kicked in soon after with the mesmerising synth piece, delicate acoustic strumming and unfeigned lyricism which characterises the songwriters’ distinct ability to instantly strike a chord with the listeners through tales of heartbreak and compassion.
Other highlights included “Joshua”, which she spoke of her failure to make songs vaguer as to who they are about, asking the crowd if there are any people of the same name watching followed by a resounding silence which led to Harper-Jones’ surprise as she stated “one is statistically never further than ten feet away from a Joshua”.
This interaction was one which quite summed up the mood of the night, one wholesome interaction after another in-between every song as she took her time to set up each song on her two pedalboards.
Towards the end of the set, Harper-Jones decided to announce a raffle, which saw one of the fans winning a signed t-shirt which bore a copy of a character originally knit by her grandmother, made with second-hand material.
That was shortly followed by the crowd being asked to scream the notes of “Main Character” at the top of their lungs towards her mic, as she looped the harmonious shouts of the crowd to bring them into the finale of the song.
She ended the night with her infamous cover of Whitney Houston’s 80s hit, followed by a surprise round of karaoke as she belted the original version of the song at the top of her lungs.
Morgan Harper-Jones is currently mid-way through her UK tour which sees her performing in Leeds, Manchester and London in the following week, with her debut album Up To the Glass out on all platforms if you’d rather listen from the comfort of your own home.
Words by Jay Cohen
