Jesse Lynn Madera's Candlelit Showcase at Green Note
Fresh from the release of her new single, "Woke Up In LA", Jesse Lynn Madera brought a magnetic showcase to Green Note in Camden, London.
Red velvet curtains and warm lighting framed a charmingly intimate stage, which suited Madera down to her gold statement earrings.
The set opened with "Austin", a key track from her 2024 album Speed of Sound, which helped establish Madera as a distinctive voice in contemporary folk songwriting. "Sweet Pretender" followed with a wry anecdote involving a lover "doing coke with Kate" that dissolved into a remarkably tender performance. The violin and guitar accompaniment added a delicate quality which contrasted neatly with her self-deprecating delivery between songs.
"What We've Become" was introduced as something of a "fight song," though you would not necessarily know it. The track showed how strongly piano still influences much of her material and Madera recounted how, despite her inclination to perform standing onstage, nearly all of her songs begin on piano.
I think the piano bar was really where I first started performing.
Later in the set came Madera’s cover of "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness", originally by country-folk artist John Prine, and one of her most recognisable tracks.
"No Place To Shine" picked up the energy and was ostensibly more animated, but lyrics of "where is that sunshine that I sent home" reminded the audience that levity and longing are rarely far in Madera’s writing. It is in these faster, country-leaning arrangements that she appeared most at ease.
Before performing her recently released single "Woke Up In LA," Madera reflected on its long conception. The track was written in the years following her move from New York to Los Angeles and explores the strange emotional push-and-pull of learning to love a city she once rejected.
As the title suggests, she did eventually wake up to it ‒ though the process was neither quick nor straightforward.
Towards the end of the set, Madera switched to guitar for "That House", only the third time she has performed it live. An encore of "Holy Water", inspired by her love of rain, provided a soft and graceful conclusion.
The performance follows growing momentum for the West Virginia-born songwriter, whose profile has continued to rise across the US folk scene.
One of Music Connection Magazine's Hot 100 Best Unsigned Artists, Madera heads into a UK tour supporting Colin Blunstone that begins later this month.
LISTEN TO WOKE UP IN LA HERE:
REVIEW BY
Nicole
I love writing about music venues where artists first started out and the rich histories behind them. London is full of iconic spots that musicians performed at earlier in their careers, which have inspired cover bands and lots of new artists hoping to follow in their footsteps.
Photos by: Alysse Gafkjen
