Grace Carter is more than a bit precocious.
Not much older than 20, the Brighton-born Brit released her first EP earlier this year, gaining plaudits from mainstream UK media outlets including the BBC and the Guardian.
Carter is much more than flavour of the month for the drive-time masses
But Carter is much more than flavour of the month for the drive-time masses. Her soulful, heartfelt pop songs have touched a nerve with a wide audience, and with her first ever headline tour drawing to a close when we catch her at Privatclub in Berlin, it’s clear that her attraction is a cross-border phenomenon.
The setting is perfect for Carter’s style. The glossy red backdrop of Privatclub’s small stage and its low-lit bar are conducive to the power and the emotion in the lyrics. There are times when it feels almost too intimate in fact. The noise generated purely by Carter’s powerful voice, accompanied by drummer and keyboard (with occasional recorded elements), seems too much for the space in the crescendos. The room, however, is full, and I’d bet on a larger venue being secured for her next visit.
The show itself is hugely impressive
The show itself is hugely impressive, if not quite flawless (largely due to sound issues). Carter’s stage presence is a cross between endearing naรฏvety and bold showmanship. At times, she instructs the crowd to ‘get sassy’, and at others, talks about her recent past as a ‘sad kid’, whose intense family relationships inevitably formed her lyrical content.
‘Silence’, her first single, enraptures the crowd, who sing and dance along on request. We’re treated to tracks not yet available online, ‘Fight For You’ and ‘Heal Me’, showing the songwriter has much more up her sleeve than a four-track EP. ‘Why Her Not Me‘, already causing a stir on UK airwaves, also goes down a treat.
With her tour drawing to an end, Grace Carter will no doubt be looking ahead to an album release in the near future. Tonight’s show is evidence that a steadily growing international base will be waiting.
