Eleanor Nelly, Gig Review. Write Blend, Waterloo.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

There are moments in a young musician’s life when the sound they create is not only stunning, it can make the die-hards and the cynical weep behind closed eyes and have them mutter that whilst music may have changed, it remains intact and an endearing presence in some.

In Eleanor Nelly, one of Liverpool’s bright young things, that presence is keenly felt and to admired, even when she is supporting someone different in a book shop in Waterloo. Being able to watch this fine musician up close and personal in amongst the books and rampaging taste of coffee and stirring tea was not only a singular pleasure but one that encapsulated the point of encouraging the young to strive for all they can; for dreams are soon too easily dashed if not nurtured and held on to.

The ambient backdrop of Write Blend is such that the music carries its own discernible flavour, the sound of an acoustic guitar nestling in amongst the pages of Daphne du Maurier, the smile of Sherlock Holmes enraptured throughout and local authors for local people always the main concern; in amongst all of this Eleanor Nelly supplied four songs for the crowd that had turned up for the launch of a new book and each one was like a little seismic shock of wonder being played.

In the three original compositions, Going Home For Winter, German Boy and Breaking Barriers, Ms. Nelly’s heart soared in time to the music with carefully aimed accuracy and in the beautiful cover of Sandi Thom’s I Love You Like A Lunatic, in which she dedicated to a member of the audience, that accuracy hit the bullseye in terms of its shape and message.

Whilst it was only a short set, what came across was the absolute joy for the young musician, the sincerity in her voice never once leaving her side and the ability to hold an audience’s attention till the pain of love is felt and seized upon.

Eleanor Nelly has come so far in such a short time, as she performed at Write Blend to a very appreciative audience, the skies limit shifted even further; a sensational voice that just keeps giving.  

Ian D. Hall