Since the start of the pandemic and the subsequent loss of regular, live music, we have been bringing you a series of ‘mini-gigs’, helping fabulous artists to continue to connect with their audience. As the music scene begins to return to something like ‘normal’, we are still able to share occasional performances that you can enjoy from the comfort of home. Our latest offering is a lovely, stripped-back miniature show from Swedish-Greek singer-songwriter Plàsi, recorded at his home in Copenhagen. The music is personal, tender and gorgeous and his words between songs are thoughtful and sensitive – many thanks to Plàsi for sharing this with us.
In a genuinely intimate, magical performance, Plàsi shares two songs. The opener, ‘Far From Home’, features warm finger-picking and the richness of his voice. This mournful song brings to mind the isolation of the pandemic: “Far from home, far from hollow // Far from all the I follow // Far from things that I need // Far from all that is me.” It’s a similar sound to ‘Foreign Sea’, the title track from the new album; check out the beautifully artful official video for ‘Foreign Sea’, which is also shared below. The second song Plàsi plays is the gently-strummed and tuneful ‘I Wish You Heard Me’. It’s a hymn-like, plaintive plea: “Singing from all those places, I wish you had come // Singing for all those reasons that I know you won’t see // Singing during all seasons, I wish you heard me.” There’s a poetry to Plàsi’s lyrics and his songs leave the listener feeling reflective and soothed.
Both songs are taken from Plàsi’s brand new album ‘Foreign Sea’ which he hopes will help you to contemplate: “…the world we live in, and what actually matters.” Recorded during the pandemic with Swedish brothers Linus Hasselberg and Hannes Hasselberg, the album was intended to merge Plàsi’s roots with sessions in Sweden and Greece. They used a ‘pop-up’ studio in homely surroundings on the island of Gotland in Sweden and then recorded again in the historic region of Peloponnese in Greece, where they collaborated with local musicians: Yvonne Melissa on violin, Christos Anastasiadis on clarinet and bagpipe, and Tasos Kofodimos on laouto, a traditional Greek instrument. The resulting album possesses a beautiful warmth and texture and is well-worth checking out. As an introduction, absorb the stripped-back acoustic versions of the songs in this very personal mini-gig. Enjoy.
