Nadia Reid
8th November 2023
Poukawa Hall, Poukawa, New Zealand.
Review by Rob Harbers, photography by Andrew Caldwell.
Following up the frenetic Jenny Don’t and the Spurs run of Small Hall Sessions, the pace and volume has eased considerably this time around, with the current guest being Nadia Reid and band. Some nine years after her appearance to a dozen-strong audience at the then Sitting Room Sessions, and two weeks before emigrating to the sunny climes of (checks notes) Manchester (!?), Nadia played a set of ‘mostly saddish songs’ in the intimate setting of the Poukawa Hall, wowing an attentive audience and no doubt cultivating a few new fans.
In the context of sad songs, surely drawing inspiration from a New Year’s Eve in Levin (“All of My Love” – the second one played) must set some kind of a bar! But it is in its wider context, of a journey that took the writer from Levin to Stansted, that this typifies much if Nadia’s material – tales drawn from reality, with a strong sense of place and time. Other lyrics talking of a ‘great departure’ to ‘greener pastures’ must surely rate as somewhat prescient, given her immediate plans!
She spoke of how songs have come to reveal greater meaning to her with the passage of time, one in particular (“Presentation”) that she admitted to not being entirely sure what she was trying to express when she wrote it, but it makes more sense to her now. “Richard” was described as an exercise in writing a song about an ex, while omitting to change names – which, we were told, caused some trouble for her at the time!
“Oh Canada” continues the theme of love and travel, enhanced, as were most of the songs, with some beautifully delicate guitar textures courtesy of Sam Taylor. Evidence of the intimacy and confessional nature of these settings can be conveyed no more clearly than by Nadia’s tale of one song’s lyrics being considerably aided in their genesis by the consumption of a hash brown(ie), while ‘doing deep inner work’ against the backdrop of the 2020 election. Let it all out!
With album number four in the bag, one or two songs from it were able to be introduced. It’s slated for release next July, after she deals with her more immediate project – the production of a new human, due in March. It’s all about priorities…
This new album also provided the opportunity to film a promo video with Robyn Malcolm – slings and arrows, indeed! But after all-too-brief of a period, it was time for a Poukawa pack-down, before moving on to various other Bay venues, as detailed at www.smallhallsessions.co.nz. Given the immediate departure, it’s strongly suggested you take this opportunity – who knows when it may present again?
Were you there at the Poukawa Hall for this intimate folk gig? Or have you seen Nadia Reid perform live sometime else? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.
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