Alone onstage with only a trusty Jazzmaster as her shield, Fiona-Lee does what every artist strives to do but for most remains tantalisingly out of reach – she soaks up every atom of attention in the room. With her excoriatingly honest and biographical lyrics front and centre, her pitch perfect yet raw vocal backed by just that one electric guitar, no one can be in any doubt that she means it, because she does.
Musical influences go as deep as they do wide. Fiona-Lee grew up in an East Yorkshire family home where music was ever present. Soaked from birth in her Dad’s sonically eclectic record collection where the common was incredible songwriters such as Genesis, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Pink Floyd, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson and Blondie and falling in love at an early age with her own musical heroes such as PJ Harvey, Jeff Buckley, Fleetwood Mac, and Kings of Leon – all of which are somewhere and nowhere in Fiona-Lee’s very own sound.
And although you’ll currently see her alone on stage, wait until you hear the debut recordings. With her full band behind her, she’s a sonic powerhouse. Pushed along by this immovable musical force songs such as ‘Nothing Compares To Nineteen’ (a reflection on her own mental health struggles as she comes to terms with the suicide of a close childhood friend) and ‘Mother’ (about recognising her naivety and being taken advantage of in a particularly early music industry experience and needing her parents help to escape) and ‘Just Like Them’ take on a whole new sense of excitement.
If you get the chance to see Fiona-Lee on a small stage with just that Jazzmaster, grab it. She won’t be there for long.