Jade Bird • Halley Greg • May 2, 2024 • The State Room
Reviewed and Photographed by Morgan Newbold
Earlier this month, in the heart of Salt Lake City, Jade Bird graced the stage in a quaint intimate venue called The State Room. If you’ve never been there, It’s a charming theatre with a decently sized floor and layered seating. Above the center of the room, hangs a giant mirrorball. When I walked in, I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the room and stage. It wasn’t too stuffy, but cozy. For a show that wasn’t completely sold out, I had plenty of room to shoot from anywhere. I was excited to be here, not only for the first time but to shoot at a new venue. I’m always worried about the lighting of small venues, but I had no issues here. AND I had a mirror ball to add a touch of flare to these glowy shots I was about to get.
Jade Bird is a 26-year-old English songwriter and musician. Her style is heavily influenced by folk, country, and Americana genres. She first released music in 2017, signing to Glassnote Records. Her EP, titled ‘Something American’ was an immediate hit. After touring in the U.S. and with the release of her EP, she was nominated for a few music awards, including NME, and won an AIM Independent Music Award in 2019. This was the year she released her self-titled debut album and also toured with Hozier, gaining a lot of positive critical attention.
In 2021 she dropped another album called ‘Different Kinds of Light’. Rolling Stone regards her musicality as “a young Londoner’s take on Americana”. She has said that some of her main influences are Alanis Morrisette, Patti Smith, Dolly Parton, and The Civil Wars. Not only are her vocals very profound, raw, and beautiful, but her performance style is laced with her infectious humor and spunk. She is quite the entertainer.
Halley Greg
Opening for Jade Bird was the adorable Halley Greg. You might recognize her name as she was on The Voice in 2021. She is a Seattle-based singer/songwriter, also with a wonderful personality and authentic self-expression through her music. Jade Bird picked out all of her openers by hosting a contest online, where you had to upload a cover of one of her songs. Halley is incredibly talented and I enjoyed listening to her sing and tell stories about her journey and life. I met her afterward and she was so kind and thankful to be playing with Jade.
Jade Bird
As a slightly larger crowd was filling in right before Jade came on, I was very hyped to see her. I had no previous knowledge of her or her sound. I was honestly blown away by her stage presence and vocals. She came on wearing a white knit shirt and grey pencil skirt, and she had long shaggy blonde hair. The lights were stunning shining off her hair and guitar. Her English accent is so distinct and charming, and I stood and just watched her for a few songs.
This was an acoustic tour where Jade played an acoustic set by herself. However, she still carried so much energy that got the room dancing. She played a mix of delicate and vulnerable songs like, “Good At It” and “Ruins”. She also performed some great high-energy folk-pop like “Uh Huh” and “I Get No Joy”. Her vocals are truly special. It came as no surprise when I learned how quickly she found success in the music industry.
I circled the room looking for more ways to capture the intimacy of the room and her presence from the pov of the crowd. I was in awe when the light hit the spinning mirrorball, and everyone was dancing to her upbeat songs. It felt like the kind of vibe that a square-dancing party would have. I went up to the top of the theater seating for the end of her set, and was thrilled when she whipped out a cover of ‘Edge of Seventeen’. Then for one of the last few songs, she brought out Halley to sing with her!
Overall, I was really impressed with Jade Bird and would probably see her again when she returns to our quaint, middle-of-nowhere home that is Salt Lake!