RACHEL SERMANNI: LONDON, UK - 19.11.21
On the 19th of November, Southwark's Omeara was blessed with an ethereal performance from Rachel Sermanni on the first night of her UK tour. The venue, which sits below a railway line, features a theatrical stage and exposed brickwork walls, creating the perfect atmosphere for Rachel and her support acts Odina and Tamzene.
As the crowd gathered around the stage Odina, the first support act of the evening, made her entrance wearing a cowboy hat and green marbled maxi dress. Select audience members sat on the wooden flooring beneath them and couples held each other in their arms as the music began, which felt as if we were all sitting around a campfire. Odina's set was enchanting and whimsical throughout with a voice fit for the heavens. One of the tracks played, titled 'You Loved Me, You Killed Me,' was heartbreakingly raw and intimate and gave the audience a small glimpse into her soul. The line "I loved mysteries until you became one" was particularly emotive.
The succeeding artist to grace the stage, Tamzene, had an angelic voice and her beautiful lyricism brought members of the audience to tears. As she played, accompanied by her keyboard, fog swept across the stage like mist over water which only enhanced the beauty of the performance. Her song titled 'How Good This Feels' carries an important message about enjoying the small things the universe has to offer, whilst 'Ocean' depicts the soul-crushing feeling of a loved one living across the world from you and how insignificant an ocean feels when your love for that person is so strong.
As Rachel Sermanni made her way onto the stage of the Omeara, she took off her boots, leaving just her socks between her bare feet and the stage beneath her. She wished everyone a happy full moon which created the perfect introduction into her first song, which of course, spoke of the full moon. As she sang, she danced upon her tiptoes with her guitar in her arms which was entrancing and graceful. Her music left the adoring audience completely stunned. All that could be heard were hearts beating, long and peaceful breathings and held back tears. Between songs, Rachel was incredibly charismatic, light-hearted, and naturally comical but when she began to sing, she transformed into a mystical forest fairy. The next song, titled 'Lost At Sea', was accompanied by blue stage lighting, which created the illusion of being beneath the ocean. During her set, she spoke of 'Closing Time' by Semisonic and how an analogy of the womb is hidden within the lyrics, which inspired her to write her own "baby song in disguise." She invited the crowd to see how many references they could catch, which caused the room to erupt in laughter when they heard the opening word: 'Baby'.
Towards the end of the set, Rachel picked up a small ukulele and stepped to the very edge of the stage as she began a cover of 'Dream A Little Dream of Me.' She sang without the use of a microphone or amp for the ukulele and beckoned the audience to sing along with her. It was a warm and intimate moment. The gentle voices of 300 people filled the entirety of the venue, creating something incredibly magical. This magical energy continued to flow into the closing song 'Lay My Heart.' Rachel eloquently explained how it came to be. When touring in Canada, she witnessed the northern lights and when led in a garden watching the colours in the sky, she felt completely drunk on life. In this moment, she reminisced on some of her favourite things and turned it into a song. Once again, Rachel invited the audience to sing the chorus by her side, which was simply the words "This is where I lay my heart" repeated several times. For the length of the song, 300 souls were connected to one another. It was an indescribably beautiful moment to be witness to and it was difficult to understand how there are people on the earth who don't believe in magic. Evidently, they have never been to a Rachel Sermanni show.
