The House of St. Barnabas’ elegant, intimate interior, and breath-taking acoustics was the perfect location for Sasha Siem’s debut performance of some tracks from her soon to be released album ‘Holey Wholly Holy’. The album, which focuses on personal introspection and growth, highlights Siem’s sensitivity and nuance as a writer and performer and perfectly showcases the extent of her vocal and musical talents.
Starting with a cello rendition of ‘Tug of War’, the audience was quickly entranced by her intense presence and the beautiful tone of her playing. Up next was ‘Come as the Sun’, an empowering track that encourages us to embrace and accept all parts of ourselves, including those qualities that we perceive to be less beautiful.
Other standout tracks from Siem’s set included the album’s title track, a powerful single that aims to embolden us to love and accept others regardless of race, gender, or religion, and her beautifully tender rendition of Elton John’s ‘Your Song’. The evening closed with a rousing performance of ‘Members of the Dawn’, in which the audience members were invited and encouraged to join in. This rounded off the night beautifully and created a sense of unity and harmony which directly mirrored the benevolent sentiments of Siem’s musical catalogue.
Siem’s extreme vocal flexibility and her captivating stage presence make her a real force to be reckoned with. With the remainder of the album being released in the coming months and the suggestion of more live dates in the not-too-distant future, make sure you don’t miss what this enigmatic artist gets up to next…