Buffalo | 12.11.12

In a dimly lit Buffalo bar, the atmosphere of an attentive audience awaits for Roxanne De Bastion, but we are first treated to some top class support acts. Starting the show is Scout, a local welsh sing song writer who provided the crowd with a mellow and relaxed set setting the tone for an evening of equally talented acoustic artists. Following scout is Lui Vernon, another Welsh talent. Although seemingly small and meek at first look, Lui captivated the audience with a distinctive voice and confident interaction with the crowd, telling quirky stories between her songs and performing striking covers of Bon Iver and surprisingly Nicki MinajÔÇÖs Super Bass. She finishes her set with a memorable song proclaiming her love for her cat: a sweet end to an equally quaint set. The final support act, Josh Caole, brings edginess to the night. Also a Cardiff talent, Josh cleverly ties his grassroot and folk styles to make a thoroughly exciting set, using harmonica and guitar. Playing a full set of original material he finishes with the upbeat ÔÇ£Please donÔÇÖt try to reach meÔÇØ wetting the appetite of the audience for the equally joyously tuned Roxanne De Bastion.

She jumps on stage with a huge smile across her face, she tells us this is the first time in a while that she has performed without whiskey; not an expected tipple of such a delicate looking character. Within the first few bars of her opening song her initial nervousness is dispelled and replaced with a kooky stage presence, which is magnetic. She amuses the crowd with her eccentric facial expressions and wondering eyes, which add character to the set. Throughout the set the crowd learns about her Berlin roots and inspiration for her track such as My Shield, which retells her thoughts on growing up in a different country. After proclaiming her lack of recognition for any other band other than The Beatles until she was 13, it is clear she is a true 70ÔÇÖs kid by heart, providing track after track reminiscent of the most popular band of all time. A surprise cover of Outkasts Hey Ya whips the audience into furious applause as she cleverly remixes the song to suit her acoustic style, in stark contrast to her folky rock tones of her own tracks. She finishes her set with her current single Red and White Blood Cells, where she yearns for audience participation. Despite the focussed silence throughout the majority of the night, the crowd delivers shouting back WHITE and YOU back to Roxanne, much to her delight, providing a magical end to a dynamic set. As an artist she is immensely talented but it is her endearing down to earth nature and genuine gratitude, which seems to enrapture the audience; a quality all too absent in many mainstream acts.

Jade Attwood