Words by: Juliet Hurwitt
Photos by: Andrew Merritt Photography
Tonight was a double celebration. Not only the reopening ‘due to public demand’ of the Echo Hotel Music Club (EHMC) in Hook, Hampshire, but also the first time many of us would be seeing and hearing Chloe Josephine perform as a solo artist.
So how did this gig come about? Chloe has known the organiser Verd Nabbs for quite some time having played there on more than one occasion. The music club had closed a couple of years ago due to a mixture of health issues and the stress of people waiting to the last minute to buy tickets. Apparently, several gigs were cancelled due to low ticket sales, only for people to say, ‘we were coming to that!’ So, when Chole suggested to Verd that she’d like to play there he was reticent. The sold-out gig tonight is proof that people want live music, local, reasonably priced, and without the hassle of travelling to (in our case) London. More bands are said to be announced soon so please support those too.
The evening started with forty-five minutes from Georgia van Ettan all the way from Australia, albeit twelve years ago. Singing and playing the keyboard, Georgia’s songs covered a wide range of ‘heavy subjects’ from standing up to the corporate world, confronting the monsters in your head about mental health issues, and plucking up the courage to ask out the bass player in your band. I’m pleased to report that seven years later they’re still together. Blood Orange was a poignant track about not achieving what you set out to do versus people’s perception of your success, especially when your friends and family are on the other side of the world. Another track was written thirty-thousand feet in the air (obviously on an aeroplane) but I’m not sure what prompted this creativity at that moment! There were clearly several fans in the audience who when asked to choose an ‘encore’ song, requested Painted People and Emma Lee. We were treated to both. Georgia’s new album coming out soon has been four years in the making and will give fans the chance to listen again to her soulful voice and beautifully written songs. A wonderful start to the night, and a perfect support for what was to come.
I would guess that most of the audience tonight were there because they’d seen Chloe Josephine in a band called Brave Rival. Her singing and stage presence was larger than life when working alongside Lindsey (Bonnick), so how would Chloe fair tonight as a solo performer? Pretty good as it goes.
Joined on stage by a six-piece band that included two…I don’t like to use the term ‘backing singers’ as they were much more than that; perhaps complimentary singers is a better description. Marlene and Gloria rightfully took their places stage-front alongside Chloe and provided the perfect accompaniment to Chloe’s voice. In Chloe’s teenage years these three ladies performed together in a band, so their close bond goes back a long way.
Tonight’s set opened with three soulful tracks from the Rebloom EP. The opening and title track posing the questions ‘who am I, what is me’, followed by Recognise ‘don’t need to fix you’ and Feels Like Forever about starting again after a year of changes. This track was also dedicated to her friend Matt Long (who died in 2024) and ‘me appreciating my life’. All songs were slow, intense and sung with such emotion that we felt we’d been given an insight to her journey of the previous year.
Picking up the beat with a funky vibe was Getting Friendly followed by Beautiful Wreckage causing the audience to clap along, the band to dance on stage, and lyrics that left no doubt about the inner strength of this lady. There were many poignant moments when Chloe explained how some songs almost weren’t included in the set as she thought them ‘too heavy to put on other people’ with Are You There, and a song simply called Cards about having recently left Brave Rival, the heartbreak she felt, then having to pick herself up and start again.
It was amusing to know that ‘pee breaks’ had been factored into the set, as Chloe is expecting her second daughter in April. I guess all eventualities had to be provided for. Said break was not required at this time, so the night continued uninterrupted.
“>Liquid Gold was a bit of a Marmite song with the men in the audience groaning, and the women going aaah. Chloe had met a couple in Germany (don’t know if they were German) who were totally in love with each other. The man told Chloe about his partner that he ‘bathes in her heart of liquid gold’ which she thought was adorable and wrote this song about it. A man from the audience laughingly called out ‘weak’ and the other men seemed to agree. Oh well, can’t please everyone, but the song was good.
One of Chloe’s favourite new songs is called Worrying which portrays how parents worry about their children all the time, and for their whole lives no matter how old they are. The backing vocals complemented Chloe’s singing beautifully. All they sang repeatedly was the word ‘worrying’ but with such emotion that there were tears in everyone’s eyes by the time they finished. You had to be there.
There was a guest appearance on several songs by guitarist Alex Voysey, who often had a play-off with keyboard player JFL (J Fashole-Luke). Not wanting to be outdone, smartly dressed bass player Chris Wood later took centre stage for his moment in the moment. Too Much of a Good Thing was co-written with Thomas Heppell, but unfortunately there was no guest appearance from him.
There were down to earth tracks like One More Day about simply enjoying time in the garden with your family and appreciating the normal every day. At this point Chloe decided to climb down off the stage and sing direct to the audience in front of her. Not seeing the stairs at the side of the stage, she then stood on a chair to get back onstage which resulted in some caring telling off from the ladies. Luckily, no mishaps occurred and mother-and-baby arrived safely back to perform the last two songs. Both of these were from the Colours album and after many thanks of appreciation All Along was slow and about moving on, whereas I Wear What I Want To was loud, brash, defiant and clearly meant more than just about the clothes you wore! Standing ovations occurred and that was a wrap on an evening that more than exceeded expectations. If this had been an award ceremony for emotion and passion, then Chloe Josephine would have swept the board.
Tonight’s show was recorded for a live album which is available now to preorder. This will probably be the best memento for a while as we wait for further live dates, so until then we wish Chloe and her family good luck with their new baby and look forward to seeing and hearing more music in the not-too-distant future.
