EDEN HUNTER: LONDON, UK - 20.10.21
The energy outside of the independently owned music venue, Bush Hall located in Shepard’s Bush, was unparalleled. You could sense just how delighted the crowd were to watch Eden Hunter perform at her debut single, ‘Weightless’, launch party.
The inside of the venue is breath-taking. The room has been decorated to look like a ballroom from the renaissance era with an unexpected, yet charming combination of chandeliers and disco balls suspended from the ceiling.
As the room began to fill with adoring fans, the support act Josie Proto took to the stage accompanied by her acoustic guitar. She started her set with a series of songs written about a boy from the perspective of her 15-year-old self, which perfectly encapsulated how it feels to be a teenage girl experiencing heartbreak for the first time. The way Josie gave backstories to her songs was humorous and charismatic, which fully engaged the audience and supported her relatable lyricism. The penultimate song performed by Josie was a song titled ‘I Just Wanna Walk Home’, which depicts how unsafe women feel when trying to walk home. The lyrics are raw, profoundly emotive and carry an important message that every woman can identify with. The simplistic and literal nature of the song is hard-hitting and educational. The closing song of Josie’s set was the song responsible for her rise to fame, ‘BTEC Lilly Allen’, which recently went viral on Tik Tok. It tells the story of how her peers at the all-girls school she attended mocked her for wanting to be a musician. She invited the crowd to join her in putting their middle fingers up at anyone who had ever made fun of their career aspirations which was an empowering visual.
As the audience anticipated Eden Hunter’s entrance, her encouraging fans screamed and chanted her name. As she entered the stage, the chants were soon replaced by passionate cheering and endearing smiles from Eden and the audience. Her strong and enchanting stage presence was immediately evident, and it was impossible to take your eyes off her.
This was enhanced by how her white glittering blazer and trousers sparkled and glowed under the stage lighting. She began her set with her song ‘Won’t Let You Go’.
Eden’s smile and glistening eyes lit up the stage, and it was clear she was entirely in her element. Another standout song was a raw and emotive piano ballad, ‘I Won’t Tell’, that compelled the crowd to fall utterly silent in awe and place their hands over their hearts as if they could feel the softness of the lyrics deep in their souls.
Between songs, Eden explained how on surface-level, her songs appear to be centred around romance; however, her music explores platonic relationships as she has never been in love, which gives her lyrism an authentic feel. After Eden performed her penultimate song, she left the stage, and the music video for ‘Weightless ‘ was played on two screens adjacent to the stage, and fans Huddled around and sang along to the lyrics at the top of their lungs. Once the video had ended, Eden reappeared on stage for an encore wearing the angelic costume from the music video to sing ‘Weightless’.
‘Weightless’, which depicts the feeling of freedom, has a solid and catchy synth-pop beat, and paired with Eden’s dreamy vocals and support from her band, creates an enchanting and magical atmosphere. Her movement on stage was hypnotic and ethereal and appeared completely natural and effortlessly mesmerising.
The atmosphere was electric, and it was an extraordinary moment to witness. One thing is for sure, and that is that Eden Hunter is a superstar.
