The Big Adventure Tour - Teah Lewis and Hallworth
By Libby Driscoll
Embarking on a co-headline tour through Bristol, Hull, London and Sheffield, Teah Lewis and Hallworth take to the stage at Sheffield’s own Shakespeare’s on a wintery Thursday evening.
Supporting the Sheffield date and opening the show, Lumarie is the first act of the evening to grace the stage. Armed only with her guitar, the singer-songwriter strums warm, reverberated tones to accompany smoky vocals, tonally akin to the likes of Stella Donnelly. Talking to us throughout the setlist and providing context to her lyrics, matters of coming-of-age and the uneasy insecurity of your early twenties prove to be the central themes to her music. Poetically articulating the plight of breakups, fleeting lovers and self-discovery, the lyrics that hit dangerously close to home are padded in comedic wit and ironic adlibs, inviting you to chuckle at the past instead of wallowing within the memories.
Pictured: Lumarie
The first of the co-headliners is Hallworth playing their first gig as a four-piece, sporting a standard guitar-band set up with frontwoman Hannah taking to keys alongside vocals. Initially light and airy, the delicacy of warm sliding guitar riffs and smooth, ethereal synth pads nods its head to influences of shoegaze and soft indie rock. Despite beginning on the lighter side of their music, Hallworth are quick to show their anthemic range. Continuing themes of social commentary and finding oneself, Hannah’s idyllic lyrics ring true and cuttingly resonant within the thunderous build ups of pedal-ridden guitars and luscious harmonies. What I found particularly inviting about Halloworth was the gracefulness of their soft and floaty sound; the air was thick with a glimmering atmosphere whilst simultaneously staying so agile.
After incorporating an indie take on a Sugarbabes cover, the band implement tracks concerning the return to bad situations and the distaste of a sibling’s partner. Towards the latter end of the set, Hallworth encompasses a more determined drive within their music, thickening out the tracks whilst keeping the integral core of their sound well and truly intact.
Pictured: Hallworth
Teah Lewis takes to the stage as the third and final act at Shakespeare’s for the evening. Also teaming up with a full band, Teah sports an acoustic guitar alongside side her vocals. Opening with Jamie, what strikes me straight away about the band is the charm of their folky stories and the fluidity of their lax, dreamy composition. Taking us on journeys through the Edinburgh Fringe, lighthouse keepers and post-grad panic, the folk-pop magic truly captivates you into listening to each and every word Teah shares with you.
Say What You Want walks us through a conversation with a friend about the fear that dawns on us when we’ve finished uni and are thrown out into the world. Decorated with warm, synthy adlibs and performed to a silently enchanted audience, the track offers a comforting hand to those trying to find their way as a young adult.
Closing with what Teah describes as her pop-banger for this year, Building a Home sees their folky sound delve into a radio-ready piece ripe with balladlike elements and dreamy waves of ebb and flow, ready to be sang and danced along to up and down the country.
Pictured: Teah Lewis
The Sheffield date of The Big Adventure Tour was a perfect end to the winter months, providing the audience with a warm, cosy escape from the cold. Each act of the evening offered the audience something unique to relate to, whether it was themes of finding oneself or being downright confused at your position in the world, you walked away from the evening with the comfort of knowing that you are not alone.