Last week I visited the quirky Tchai-Ovna House of Tea to see singer-songwriter, Andrea Heins, and was surprised by what the free gig had to offer.
The venue was not my usual bustling with people, blaring music and in the heart of Glasgow. Instead it looked like someone's living room, filled with trinkets from across the globe and musty old books. But as I sat down in one of the old wicker chairs and listened to Heins I found myself enjoying a completely different music experience.
The atmosphere was relaxed and the gentle chatter during the performance seemed to rise and wane with the artists music as though it was part of the performance. The whole event reminded me of sitting infront a friends fire on a cold Winter's night, talking and laughing about our week. Listeners ranged from casual teenagers with their friends to smartly dressed business men with briefcases.
Her voice was sweet with a tinge of old country western and Indie, but also versatile and strong. The lyrics seemed to centre around love and were quite poetic at times, while still sending out a clear message. The easy switch between harmonica and guitar in the songs continued their easy flow whilst adding an interesting twist for the listener. Heins was obviously nervous as she had to stop a song or two and begin again and the shaking in her voice was clear at the start. However this is my only critism of the entire night.
Tchai-Ovna has an atmosphere unique to any other music venue I have visited. I highly recommend it if you enjoy intimitate local gigs or even just want a relaxing lunch. By the end of my visit there I was also left questionning, "Why is Andrea Heins not signed?" Her website has music and photography both of an equally high standard.
Andrea Heins and Tchai-Ovna's websites if you want to take a look:
http://www.andreaheins.com/index.html
http://tchaiovna.com/
Feel free to comment please, the more I know the more I can improve!
No comments:
Post a Comment