Opening her set with just a tiny charango for company, one wondered if Canadian singer-songwriter Basia Bulat might have trouble filling even the relatively intimate surroundings of The Hope with the powerful, driving sound of her albums.
A few moments into opener The City With No Rivers, though, and Bulat proved that she had no need for grand instrumentation. Her voice – a heart-stopping symphony of a thing, and somehow even truer and more arresting live than on record – reached out through the venue and held everyone quite still.
Her trademark autoharp later offered a depth of sound which created a perfect backing for the rousing, passionate Gold Rush and Heart Of My Own, before her voice broke fully into a plaintive swell for an astonishing rendition of Never Let Me Go.
It felt more like being hit by a solar flare than simply listening to music, and it’s hard to believe there will be a more heartbreaking, quieting moment on a Brighton stage for some time to come.
Charming, cheerful and sporting a gold hairband and wings combo straight out of Greek mythology, Bulat signed off with an unamplified It Can’t Be You and a hugely warm response from everyone present.
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