By Louis O’Sullivan, Second Year, English and Philosophy
If you think you haven’t heard of Celeste, then you have at least heard Celeste, from the Netflix hit The Day of the Jackal’s main theme, ‘This is Who I am’, to her– arguably– most popular song, ‘Strange’, from her 2021 debut, Not Your Muse. With Woman of Faces being the neo-soul singer-songwriter’s next full-length album after a gap of 4 years, I was excited to hear a preview at Trinity, before it dropped on the 14th of November.
As the crowd shuffled in after a miserable rainy queue, I was intrigued to see a mic stand in the centre of the floor, rather than on the stage amongst the modest number of instruments set up, and when Celeste walked up onto the small, raised platform, everyone seemed to forget the gloom of the weather, and were, like me, instantly captivated.
Though she seemed almost nervous, the first track was the album’s closer, ‘This is Who I Am’– written by Matt Maltese– in which the dramatic ring of the piano highlighted Celeste’s signature voice, one that has repeatedly had me wondering why she still has no Bond theme under her belt.
This voice did not falter into the next two songs, ‘Lately’ and ‘Everyday’, the latter of which being a single which, despite not making it onto Woman of Faces, felt as though it flowed effortlessly with the energy of the show, building faster and faster.
Onto the next track, calming down before a storm, ‘Happening Again’ drew everyone present closer still to that platform in the centre, hanging on every word. By now, I find that Woman of Faces seems to have had the perfect release date, for its addition to the progression of darker and rainier evenings makes them feel luxurious rather than depressing, especially with songs like this.
Here, around the midpoint of the show, the faint nerves that Celeste might have shown at the beginning seemed non-existent, and despite having the crowd an arm’s distance away, for ‘Time Will Tell’ she was lost in an internal world, breaking through the tender instrumentation with a belter of a chorus, the type that takes nearly the whole song to build up to. ‘Keep Smiling’ afterwards offered an exhale of that powerful energy, like a sigh, more of emotional fatigue than relief.
This was followed thoughtfully by the title track, ‘Woman of Faces’, which she dedicated to ‘all our mothers’, and I felt it did such a worthy subject justice, musing around a person with an indomitable façade, despite the pain that lies behind it, ‘To be a woman, she must face it/ Pick a style in style and display it’.
To finish, the crowd whooped as Celeste began ‘Strange’, then louder still when she began it again, unsatisfied with the first time– though to my ears there seemed to be no fault. This song, which I believe is more than worthy of its recognition, never seems to lose its potency, even though it was released 6 years ago now. Accredited as ‘the reason I am here with you today’, there is no better song with which to attribute your rise to fame. However, as the final note faded out, I felt only slightly unsatisfied. It’s a cliché to be left wanting more, but with a track list of only eight songs, I couldn’t help but wish it could have gone on just a little longer.
Anastasia Baker
Nonetheless, the format of the show, standing in a circle looking up to such a talented artist did not disappoint, and I find when your voice and presence is so arresting, there is no better way to do a gig. Check out Woman of Faces, if you ever want to feel like the world is your personal secret speakeasy.
Featured image: Epigram / Louis O’SullivanWhat’s your favourite song on the album?
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