Alice Phoebe Lou: The Real Thing

Yolanda Saayman — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 19:57:38 +0000

Alice Phoebe Lou: The Real Thing

Alice Phoebe Lou is an independent artist who has her feet anchored on two continents. Although she has lived in Berlin for the past three years, she still considers Cape Town her home.

Every year as the European winter sets in, Alice brings her inspiring music back to South Africa to play at sold-out venues around the country.

April 2016 saw the release of her first official album Orbit which she funded herself through “working my ass off” and considers it to be the real thing.

Alice is no longer that shy girl who could not look up from the floor to face her audience. She says that playing on the streets has taught her how to communicate with the audience and not to be afraid while performing on stage. Her growth as an artist is noticeable in the way she moves and interacts with her audience, but more specifically, in the way her voice dances freely to the rhythm of the notes.

Her piercing blue eyes demand attention while she challenges the status quo through her music and profound lyrics and leaves the audience inspired with food for thought. It is refreshingly different.

She believes that art and creativity should be collaborative and surrounds herself with musicians and artists who adds intuitively to the music. This was evident during her recent show at the Methodist Church on Greenmarket Square which formed part of her Coming Home Tour. Here she shared the stage with various musicians including the musical genius Olmo (Francesco Lo Giudice) who was also the opening act and multi-instrumentalist, Matteo Pavesi.

Her latest renditions of Devil’s Sweetheart and Grey from the Momentum EP are simply phenomenal. Alice is visibly comfortable in her own skin and she performs with an energy that is contagious.

Alice is an uncompromising artist who refuses to sell out to consumerism and despite the fame that followed her TedXBerlin appearance a few years ago, the young artist remains humble and continues to play on the streets of Berlin.

The Lucky Packet: Alice Phoebe Lou At ColourBox Studios

Yolanda Saayman — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:29:03 +0000

The Lucky Packet: Alice Phoebe Lou At ColourBox Studios

When Big Concerts announced that Alice Phoebe Lou would be the opening act for the legendary Rodriguez on his South Africa tour, I thought: “Who the fuck is Alice!?” (I obviously wasn’t paying too much attention to the TedxBerlin talk when it went viral – guilty!)

Despite the fact that Alice, self-admittedly, enjoys using The F-Word, she made a lasting impression on the audience and me. So much so, that when the quirky poster for The Lucky Packet show started circling on Facebook, I knew I had to document the event.

‘The Lucky Packet’ is Alice’s brainchild which she started moulding last year, but she needed a suitable venue. So thinking a bit outside of the box it made sense to launch this project at the ColourBox Studios in Paarden Island.

This was Alice’s last show in Cape Town, before her return to Berlin and was attended by friends, fans and, I believe, a few curious souls. Let’s face it, there’s this young blond girl who looks like she should still be in primary school, who defies the status quo and then blows your mind when she starts belting out her heart and soul with social commentary that demands attention and awareness. It is the profanity of the lyrics of this young “I won’t be moved” artist that resonates with the listener.

Alice is bubbly and one can feel her energy pouring out as she bounces around like a careless child with her infectious smile, in contradiction to the melancholic tunes she plays. She shares her stage with the likes of Harry Charles (a homie from New Zealand also living in Berlin) and Chris AuReT, who also did the artwork for the cover of her new CD. The part I liked a lot, was watching visual artists like Steven Carter (Joffsart) etching off his magical touch on a blank canvas – literally!

No doubt, Thursday’s show was indeed A Lucky Packet. According to Alice, this is the first of many to follow. For her, it is all about the music, art and collaborating with friends on a platform where everyone benefits from the success.

As for now, the fans will have to patiently await the launch of her new CD “Orbit” to be released in April 2016. “Walking in the garden” is a first, glimpse into her new album – enjoy!

indiefolk Archives - Yolanda Saayman Photography

Alice Phoebe Lou: The Real Thing