This being my second time going to Club Dada, I knew what to expect. This time, three other friends and I went. After driving around for a minute, looking for parking, I was immediately surprised. The stage was outside! So it’d be a new venue experience after all. Plenty of people had arrived before us, but it never got too crowded. The ambience was fun and exciting, with fairy lights hanging against the open sky.
The opener was Tele Novella, and again I went in blind. Natalie Ribbons had a stunning and almost grainy voice that left the performance feeling otherworldly, but grounded. Backed by Jason Chronis on electric bass, they produced a sound like no other, making use of vibrato and other hand techniques. They were my friends’ favorite band of the night.
After their set, there was a brief intermission. I, of course, had to go and buy Solya’s tour t-shirt. On it pictured her posed for her soon-to-be-released first studio album, Queen of Texas, with the tour dates on the back.
I got back from the merch stand just in time. Solya walked onto the stage, and the audience cheered! I was ecstatic. She planned on debuting her album at this concert, before anyone else had even heard it. During her set, she mixed her more popular songs with songs from the new album. It was beautiful. One thing that’s always been the case with seeing Solya live (although truthfully, I’ve only seen her live twice) is her incredible stage presence. The best word to describe it would be ethereal. Especially when she performed her song “Heaven.” To add to this, in “Heaven,” she has a punctual scream. She did not leave this out in her live performance. Her hands flowed with the music, and she had the audience scream during the part. To be honest, her sound felt very similar throughout many of the songs she sang. However, I’m aware there are some limitations that come with live music, so I look forward to the official release.
After the show, I discussed with my friends what they thought. Personally, Solya is my favorite music artist of all time, but I think that, partially, that comes from the exclusivity of enjoying a lesser-known artist. According to my friends, Solya is incredibly talented for how new a musician she is. I agree! She has lots of potential, and they look forward to seeing how far she can push herself. Her melodies can be somewhat homogenous to other musicians in the industry, but with her aptitude and developing skill, she is a star in the making.
