The Londonist review Alela Diane Live

"It's a brisk night on Tottenham Court Road, Crossrail's white hoarding and the ghost of the Astoria squatting grimly on the roadside. The house of God isn't everyone's cup of tea when urban life is rubbish, but tonight St Giles in the Field plays host to Alela Diane Menig and her band and is thus a perfect vessel in which to locate some meaning on a Monday.

Alela is small with a sweet mouth that belies its strength and ability to move from melodious haunt to childlike glycerine to warm stone with an easy grace. Unlike other singer-songwriters whose clichéd visitations into the musical and lyrical will pass in time like the quick trickle of sand through a well-worn egg-timer, Menig's creations carry more weight and conjure up a worthy sense of longevity. Singing about mothers, grandmothers and future children, along with the presence of her father in the band, her songs span the tattered lace of history and family, and the collective memory (and future) of these subjects. Additionally she traces a strong path through the Appachalian and folk traditions, evoked through unaccompanied acoustic jewels and alt-country numbers with help from the rest of the band.

Read the rest of the review on The Londonist here