Bailey Wiley
12th July 2019
Galatos, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Mike Beck. Photography by Ginelle Cocks.
She got soul.
The opening night of Bailey Wiley’s short NZ Tour, in support of her new self-titled EP, was a showcase of the singer’s vocal range, repertoire and distinct talent. Also timely was its coinciding with another significant life event she has going on, her pronounced baby bump bringing an element of both love and family to the evening. Overall, it provided space for four female acts to showcase their talents and original music collectively on one stage. All hail to the feminine divine.
The opening act of the night, DJ Soraya LaPread, mixed some funky/soulful tunes, sound-scaping some chill moods, and appearing graceful and unique looking all the while. The daughter of Commodore bass playing legend Ronald, one gets the impression that Soraya has more strings to her bow to show. Watch this space.
Imugi emerged next, an Auckland electro-synth duo, who made their Laneway debut at the start of the year. Singer-songwriter Yery Cho took front of stage, with producer/DJ Carl Ruwhiu providing the musical backing. Their set had a dreamy feel to it, with Cho rapping, & drifting vocally in & through their material. At times, they recalled 90’s NY/Japanese duo Cibo Matto, a title Green Smoke for example. Cho often referred to their music, particularly her lyrics, as being a sort of shield from the harms of the world, mostly toxic people. Cho’s banter included speaking about beauty of the mind, and not having to validate oneself. Cho had a substantial amount of hair, and utilized it and her breezy dancing style to good effect.
Another local Singer/DJ duo followed, Haz & Miloux provided a tight set of jazz/hip-hop/soul tunes. Having already released two singles; “Down’ and ‘Enough’, Haz & Miloux are building towards an EP release later in the year. Miloux, in a dressy black outfit, had a confident and effortless vocal style, meshing well with her backing track harmonies.
Then it was time for Bailey, by this time Galatos’ room had filled to near capacity, with a mostly youthful female audience. Wiley’s super-tight 3-piece band set up her entrance with an extended instrumental intro, leading into ‘Between the Lines.’ Wiley’s music could be described as hitting somewhere inside Neo/Soul, R’n’B, Hip Hop & Pop realms.
Evident to fans already, but no doubt surprising to those not keeping pace, is that Wiley is over halfway through a pregnancy. Taking the stage & briskly referring to ‘a bump’, Wiley commenced as if firing on an extra cylinder, it would seem channelling some of the blessings that her personal life is currently bringing her as a motivator. The bubba’s getting the best possible start, with expectant Mum able to keep up the vibe for a thirteen-song strong performance.
‘Talking’ an unreleased song followed, and into ‘Dos Fuegos’, the opening track from Wiley’s previous release S.O.M.M. (2016). By this time, Wiley had warmed up, with ’DWN4U’ showcasing her vocals as both expressive (along with her body & hand movements) joyfully free and playful. Yet another one ‘Afford This Love’ off her new self-titled EP followed, all six songs from it would be included/performed throughout the night as the evening was built upon.
‘Still on My Mind’ and ‘After The Tone’ continued the thematic narrative of love, loss and relationships. The latter song providing space for band intros and solos; Sam Jones on tight, funky keys, Chip Matthews laying down solid, grooving basslines, and working swimmingly with drummer Adam Tobeck, who had his DW kit fair pinging.
‘The 101’ stretched Wiley’s vocals with its syncopated twists, leading to an EP two-play of recent single ‘Zaddy’, which allowed Sam Jones to take a flute solo; the slow jam ‘Yours Truly’, announced by Bailey as a debut live performance. The non-album single ‘Lady’, again showing just how capable Bailey is as a vocalist, her intonation proving both accurate and fluid.
Finishing off her set was ‘Sugar’, the last song written, but first single off her new EP. With her mic stand draped in a floral arrangement, and similarly Bailey herself fitted tightly in a long, striped dress, she retained her dignity and realness to the end, performing fiercely and connecting strongly with her audience.
There was a moment for Bailey to pause and thank all involved in her career, acknowledging her recording/production team, band, support acts and support crew, including delivering a bouquet of flowers to her manager Jaz. A quick on and off-stage manoeuvre ensued, before a single song encore ‘Take It From Me’ closed out the night.
Her new EP sounds smooth and classy, with catchy songs and strong production. Along with its soulful mix of R’n’B and themes of young love, Bailey also has the voice and presence to push into the U.S. market. Before that, there’s two more shows of this mini tour (13th July in Christchurch & 26th July in Wellington), and then a pending baby to be delivered. Expect Bailey Wiley to make bigger waves thereafter.
Were you there at Galatos for this RnB / Soul extravaganza? Or have you seen Bailey Wiley perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Bailey Wiley Setlist:
- Between The Lines
- Talking
- Dos Fuegos
- Down 4 U
- Afford This Love
- S.O.M.M
- After The Tone
- The 101
- Zaddy
- Yours Truly
- Lady
- Sugar
- Take It From Me [encore]
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