Importance of Being Earnest

After eating a filling roti at Vena's, I stopped at nearby The Burdock for an early show. Belinda Corpuz (actress, songwriter) had just finished her first number. Accompanied by Malcolm Connor on the upright bass, she guitar-picked through a selection of emotional songs from her EP including Waiting, June, and Storm. She did a nice cover of Overjoyed by Bahamas where she noted that she got to strum instead.

Emma Priya (also actress, songwriter) took the stage with a strong, driving number called Patterns. She was relatively new to performing music; she has been doing various gigs including open mics around the city. Her goal for this year was to play a show like tonight. With her band, she did songs called Little Girl (an ode to her younger self) and Beyond Borders (after visiting family in India). This Is Love was probably perfect for her friend's wedding but was too saccharine for me.

Perhaps because of their non-Caucasian heritage, Corpuz's grandmother came from the Philippines and Priya is biracial, there was a willingness to explore stories beyond the usual love songs. But this hasn't quite translated into verses that are consistently compelling. Sometimes there was a bit of an official anthem of WE Day vibe. Hopefully, they will continue to develop their craft.