JOSIE PROTO: LONDON, UK - 23.11.21
On the 23rd of November, TikTok superstar Josie Proto took to the stage of London's courtyard theatre with support from Katie Kittermaster. As the doors opened, enthusiastic fans, accompanied by their high spirits, began to fill the sold out room, eager to see Josie's performance. The warm lights which illuminated the stage created an intimate and cosy atmosphere in the 150-capacity venue that perfectly suited Josie's raw and authentic musicality.
The supporting artist, Katie Kittermaster, was introduced to the stage by Josie herself. There was no suspenseful and dramatic build-up to Josie's entrance instead, she simply walked to the front of the stage as if it were an everyday occurrence and spoke to the crowd like they were her closest friends. Josie also joined in with Katie's first song, which was an acoustic track they had written together. After the song came to an end, Katie explained that she didn't often play the guitar. Even despite this, she played beautifully and if she hadn't had mentioned it's doubtful anyone in the room would have known. The pair had an enormous amount of chemistry on stage and from the smiles they each wore it was evident how much fun they were having.
During her set, Katie also performed her own rendition of 'Castle On The Hill,' originally written by Ed Sheeran, accompanied by a backing track. Due to the song's memorable nature and popularity, Katie invited the audience to sing along with her and they did not disappoint.
Before she began to play her next song titled 'The Problem,' Katie spoke articulately about mental health: a topic she proclaimed was very close to her heart. The lyrics are incredibly vulnerable, honest, melancholic, and heartbreakingly relatable whilst the contrasting melody has a soft pop upbeat rhythm. It brings awareness to mental illness without romanticising or sugar-coating it. This is incredibly important with the number of individuals, especially young people, struggling with their mental health constantly on the rise. Katie closed her set with 'We Can't Be Friends' which centres around her belief that it is impossible to be just friends with somebody you were once in love with.
After a brief interval, Josie returned to the stage just as casually as before and joined her guitar. One of the songs she played in the first half of her set 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.
One of the following song's performed by Josie was written about a boy from the perspective of her younger 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. This track was evidently a fan favourite as it didn't take long for the room to fill with the voices of 150 people singing alongside her.
The next track Josie described as her bond theme. As she made her way over to the piano, just as Katie had done during her set, she explained how she wasn't much of a piano player, but just like Katie with the guitar, she played exquisitely. It was a dramatic number written about female empowerment, which would not feel out of place on a musical soundtrack. The ending of the piano piece saw the beginning of the second half of the show, which included a live band sharing the stage with Josie. The first track they played as a band was a fantastic cover of 'Take Me Out' by Franz Ferdinand, which brought a whole new energy along with it. Josie, now free from the limited range of movement that comes hand in hand with guitar playing, danced around the stage as she sang.
The fun she was having was incredibly infectious, which could be seen in how the audience began to dance with her. There is a slight sense of disconnect between the performer and their audience at the occasional live music event, but this was not the case at this show. Every person in that room, including Josie and her band, were equals. A subsequent track was an, at the time, unheard song titled 'Sticky Fingers' which had strong instrumentation, especially with the percussion, a catchy melody and a powerful bass line. Josie explained that the song was about building your own personality by stealing aspects of other people's. she also mentioned she was excited to play it live, and understandably so! It’s high energy was very well received by the audience. For the penultimate song, it was time to hand out the kazoos. It has become a wholesome tradition at Josie's shows to give members of the audience a kazoo, which originated from her time as a pub singer.
As she began her rendition of ‘Delilah,' originally performed by Sir Tom Jones, she instructed the audience on when and how to play their kazoos. The sound that filled the room can be best compared to a very happy swarm of bees. It brought a smile to everyone's faces and it proves that Josie is an artist who does not take herself too seriously. For the final song of the evening, the band left the stage leaving Josie alone with the audience and her guitar, which brought her back to her roots to close the show. The closing song of Josie's set was the song responsible for her rise to fame, ‘BTEC Lilly Allen,’ which recently went viral on TikTok. It tells the story of how her peers at the all-girls school she attended mocked her for wanting to be a musician. Performing the song, which aided her rise in popularity, solo with the accompaniment of her guitar was the perfect ending to a fantastic show.
