Photos by Amanda Farah
If your introduction to Sarah Louise was through her lush folk album Deeper Woods, or her trad Appalacian duo House and Land, you might be surprised by her current live set up: Her characteristic 12-string has been replaced by an electric, but the main elements are a sampler, synth, and pedals. On her latest release, “Nighttime Birds and Morning Stars”, she channels the cosmic music of Alice Coltrane and krautrock as she does her more traditional folk influences.
The common element throughout is Sarah Louise’s powerful voice, soaring above fingerpicked guitar and drum machines alike. The concert hall at Alice has been reduced in size by black velvet curtains, the audience huddled together at tables, and Louise’s down-to-earth presence gathers everyone together into a warm cloak against yet another wet autumn evening.
This is not Sarah Louise’s first time in Denmark, having played at Fanø Free Folk Festival in 2018 with House and Land, but it’s only fitting that this be her first trip to Copenhagen, ending the current season of Free Folk Mondays at Alice.
There is more of a DIY feel to the songs in a live settings, particularly in the charmingly unselfconscious drum presets that ring oddly beside the drones and rattles and bells. This new approach works surprisingly well with Sarah Louise’s older material as well: the sparse, electric version of “Bowman’s Root” seems to have switched seasons, from autumn to winter.
