Marika Hackman

There’s something incredibly special about seeing a multi-instrumentalist performing live, and although you can hear all of the parts clearly on studio recordings, seeing someone live swap between instruments whilst maintaining incredible vocals is really special, and Marika Hackman did this perfectly. From piano, to guitar, to her small additional drum kit she had on stage, it blew me away at every switch.
She opened with Deep Green where she was playing guitar, and her vocals held everyone in silence straight away. Her smooth folk voice washed over the audience, and it was great to hear her add in little improvisations that weren’t on the recordings. She focused mainly on playing her newest EP, Deaf Heat, but also played tracks off of older material.
She was great at engaging with the audience, and when she was on drums, she began a beat, and got everyone to clap along, whilst she performed an a cappella version of Itchy Teeth over the top of our rhythm. The show was only about 90 minutes long, but she blew everyone away, and covered a vast selection of her work. Hopefully she’ll keep creating more music, as she really has a great gift.

A special talent - destined for great things! Poignant lyrics beautifully played and self - effacingly delivered. Accompanied by cello and violin, the music filled the intimate space of Bush Hall. Special mention for support Sophie Jamison - one to watch!

Despite the jet lag, Marika Hackman played a beautiful show with Big Moon backing her up. I particularly enjoyed Big Moon's rendition of Madonna's Beautiful Stranger opening up for Markika. Nice, small room to see such a big talent.