Ingrid Andress Thrills Fans With Intimate London Showcase
As a massive Wimbledon fan it takes a lot to drag me off the sofa and out into the world during the tournament, but the opportunity to see Ingrid Andress perform a special showcase in an intimate venue in central London on Tuesday was of course too good to pass on!
Those of us fortunate enough to be at the event saw the Nashville artist performing stripped back versions of songs both familiar and as yet unreleased from her stunning debut album “Ladylike” and her upcoming sophomore release “Good Person” which drops on 26th August.
Introduced by the head of Parlophone Records here in the UK, a very relaxed and extremely excited Ingrid bounced onto the tiny stage dressed in a simple black jumpsuit and trainers, where she was accompanied for her set by an acoustic UK guitarist who we later learned was called Bryden and who had apparently learned all her songs especially for the evening… he did a fantastic job! The exception were the final three songs where Ingrid played keys herself.
Despite saying she was jet lagged Ingrid was on top form vocally and was obviously buzzing to be back here “after far too long” (her tour earlier this year sadly getting cancelled). From the start her enthusiasm for performing an up close and personal set in front of such dedicated fans, many of whom were singing along word perfect at times, was plain to see. Ingrid’s relaxed manner and witty, informative chat as she explained the inspiration behind many of the songs was a feature throughout the evening, as she sat perched on her stool with her legs dangling (her expression!) but being seated didn’t prevent a lot of dramatic gestures and facial expressions as she lived and breathed her lyrics.
It’s the type of event she described to me as “a dream” when we spoke afterwards. And it was pretty dreamy for the audience, too, so relaxed and fun and for me it was akin to spending the evening listening to a close (and extremely talented of course!) friend.
I’m sure you’ll recognise many of the songs from the setlist but of course it was extra special to get to hear some of the unreleased songs from the upcoming album, and wow were they stunners!! If you’re enjoying “Good Person” , “Seeing Someone Else” and “Pain” just wait til you hear “Blue” and “Yearbook” both of which totally blew me away!
“Blue” is actually a love song, and a really beautiful and very clever one too which she told us was written as the result of her truly being in love and which resulted in her seeing the world totally differently… as she sings, “looking into your eyes is like seeing blue for the first time” …but don’t worry, it’s not one of those overly sickly love songs that we singletons detest!
“Yearbook” was written as the result of her observing other people’s relationships, in particular those who stick together despite being unhappy…. couples who as the lyrics say have “lived in the same house for forty years but the last time they were in the same page was in the year book“. I think this one it is set to be a massive hit if it gets released as a single .
Despite being an even more intense album than her debut, “Good Person” does have some lighter moments it seems and after performing “How Honest Do You Want Me To Be?” Ingrid described it as “fun and sassy” and it’s one she seemed to have particular fun performing.
There was a brief Q&A afterwards, with questions already sent in by fans, before a meet and greet where Ingrid chatted to us and posed for photos while sipping on a margarita she’d described as “strong and spicy” as she took her first sip during the set (my type of cocktail!).
There was no mention of a headline tour here, but with her love for the UK audience in no doubt (along with her love of a decent cup of tea which she told us about!) I’m confident it will be on the agenda as soon as Ingrid can slot it into her hectic schedule.
I’m the interim, roll on 26th August when we will all get to hear her new album in full.
Set List
1. Good Person
2. Yearbook
3. Seeing Someone Else
4. How Honest Do You Want Me To Be?
5. Pain
6. Blue
7. Feel Like This
8. More Hearts Than Mine
9. Lady Like
Pre-Order ” Good Person” here https://ingridandress.lnk.to/preorder-goodperson
