Juanita Stein is an Australian abroad, currently living in the East Sussex seaside town of Brighton. But she clearly also has a strong affinity with the West Yorkshire city of Leeds. Just over two years ago she was here at the Brudenell Social Club with Howling Bells, the indie rock band she had jointly formed in 2004 and in which she is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. Then five weeks ago, courtesy of her solo career, Stein was back at the same venue as support act to The Lemonheads’ frontman Evan Dando. This afternoon she played a sold-out, stripped back, in-store session a few hundred yards from here at Crash Records. And now, a few hours later, she is stepping onto the O2 Academy stage opening for the Scottish indie band Travis on the first night of a 13-date UK tour.
A direct line can be drawn between those three most recent live appearances and Juanita Stein’s fourth solo album The Weightless Hour, which was released last week. On her new record, she redefines the very concept of her songwriting, adhering firmly to a principle of less being more. The fabric of the songs’ arrangements may have become more austere, but this fresh approach enables her magnificent voice to move front and centre, accompanied only by her guitar.
Such is the confidence Juanita Stein has in her own creative evolution, this process of change is readily incorporated into her older material as it is precisely at the mid-point of this hugely impressive seven-song set before we hear anything from The Weightless Hour. By then Stein has already returned to her first and third albums – represented here by ‘America’ and ‘Snapshot’ respectively – both emotionally vibrant and bisected by an even deeper dive into her musical past by virtue of ‘Broken Bones’ from Howling Bells’ excellent self-titled debut album from 2006.
It is as if Juanita Stein is affirming to us all that she is now at peace with her past, using it as a secure platform on which to build her artistic present and future. ‘Carry Me,’ the latest single to be taken from The Weightless Hour and the first song tonight to appear from it, reflects this strong feeling of personal calm and stability.
Whether by accident or design, ‘Setting Sun’ – another tune from the Howling Bells’ debut album – then closes a door on that particular past before Juanita Stein firmly embraces her here and now with an enthralling, reverb-infused ‘Mother Nature’s Scorn’ – highlighting our collective vulnerability in an increasingly precarious natural world – and an equally atmospheric ‘Motionless’ which further maps out the expansive scope of her musical ambition.
Photos: Simon Godley
More photos of Juanita Stein at O2 Academy Leeds
