It’s a real privilege to be around when a talented artist is just beginning their musical journey, watching them grow and develop both as a writer and performer. I’ve seen Ella Spencer, a gifted multi-instrumentalist, on stage a number of times. At the Green Note an appreciative and supportive audience was in attendance for the launch of her latest single, ‘I Never Told You About Oregon’, a thoughtful, lyric-driven piano ballad, through which she conveys real emotion and insight about the passage of time and the passing of important relationships. The basement in the Green note was a perfect setting; it was full, with folks standing at the back by the bar and a buzz of anticipation. The narrow room funnelled attention towards Spencer on the small stage, creating an intimate atmosphere with the friendly, crowded warmth of a house gig.
Spencer started on her acoustic guitar with the gentle strum of 2023 single ‘Late Night Train’. There’s a real purity and flow to her voice which rises and falls throughout a lovely vocal melody. Her lilting tunes and captivating voice are a feature of her songs and her new single is a fine example of these qualities. ‘I Never Told You About Oregon’ was next, played beautifully on the piano at the side of the stage. She explained how the song had been written on a road trip in 2023 when she stayed with the always-outstanding Jerry Joseph, who is something of a musical mentor for her. He had invited her over to Portland, Oregon and helped give her the confidence to record after hearing her, “…shitty voice memos!” Joseph co-produced the new single alongside Steve Drizos (The Jackmormons) and the version released is richly layered and includes his backing vocals. However, at the Green Note, the song was all the more powerful for being stripped back to just her soft storytelling voice and her rolling, fluent piano. With just those two instruments – voice and keys, she was able to convey real feeling in a reflective, poetic song that balances grief and acceptance, the permanence of loss against the way memories fade. While her narrative is clearly personal, ‘I Never Told You About Oregon’ is one of those songs that is universally understood and felt and it’ll be one she plays, no doubt, for years and years. Back on the guitar, Spencer turned to another song recorded in Oregon, ‘Warning Signs’. The low and moody chords were matched by her low and moody voice that seemed to draw the audience in even closer. Her vocal tune was low again, with bursts of volume and higher pitch in the lyrical ‘Scotty’s Tyres’. This was one of the highlights of the evening: beautifully poetic words, performed with controlled emotion and intimacy, tumbling through a gorgeous melody. Spencer took to the banjo for ‘Dink’s Song’, traditional American folk played with humour. Spencer finished up this first solo set with the emotionally devastating ‘It Makes No Difference’ by The Band, a song she learned for the Robbie Robertson Tribute at The Maverick Festival. Her ranging vocal was once again impressive accompanied by her compelling piano, the tinkling keys particularly captivating when she hit the high notes. The manner in which Spencer switched, seemingly effortlessly, between instruments was also notable and a sign of her growing confidence as a performer.
There was then a short interval, allowing everyone to refill their glasses, before Spencer took to the stage again for a second set. This time she was accompanied by Sean and James from Forty Elephant Gang, an excellent, highly-recommended live band, which meant the songs were given greater dynamic force and deeper textures. As they said, it was, “…a bit of a squeeze but we’re going to make it work.” Many of the songs were repeated from earlier in the evening – given that Ella’s career is just starting and ‘I Never Told You About Oregon’ is only her second official single release. It was actually a delight to hear those same songs played in different ways, subtly changed and invigorated with a new energy.
The three began with the new single but, listening again, different lines and musical phrases were pulled out and exposed. Ella’s voice was full of weary melancholy and the repetition of the notion of things fading – a bruise, memories, her grandmother – was deeply affecting. Between songs, they talked about how their music doesn’t always fit neatly into one category and they’d agreed on a new term: “Indie-Roots,” which Sean noted was also the name of a restaurant on the High Road. Sean’s melodic bass and rhythm and James’s jangling guitar added a new dimension to ‘Can I Keep It’, transforming the sound beneath Ella’s plaintive vocal: “First time I’ve felt peace in a while // Can I keep it?” The repeat of ‘Warning Signs’, again so different from the previous version, was excellent. Pulsing bass, a sense of real movement and greater musical depth turned the song into something refreshing and new. A more propulsive rendition of ‘Scotty’s Tyres’ was another high point, driven on by bursts of more staccato singing. There was a lovely moment when the bass stopped and the guitar quietened, the relative calm placing all the emphasis on Ella’s voice and words before the musical layers built up again. The evening closed with repeats of ‘Dink’s Song’ and ‘Late Night Train’, a song that Ella explained, “…made me believe.” Her warm strum and fluid, rolling melody slowed beautifully at the end and she sang, “I wonder if you have the same dream,” with an emotional crack in her voice.
Ella’s father co-founded The Maverick festival, the first such celebration of Americana in the UK, and she grew up around stages and outstanding touring musicians. Those childhood experiences are evident in her writing and increasingly confident performances. She is now dreaming of her own life in music; she has the talent, voice and support – from the likes of Jerry Joseph – to succeed. This autumn, she’ll be supporting The Sam Chase Trio and Joseph himself as both acts make welcome returns to these shores. What a musical education. Keep a look out for Ella Spencer – we’ll be seeing her again.
