Live At, The Twisted Pepper

Babybeef, aka Sarah Carroll Kelly, has begged comparisons with The Hundred in The Hands, who she performed with last year, and English electropop princess Little Boots. Appearance-wise however, she looks more like Julie Feeney, all ‘60s eyeliner and kooky-bird accessories. Playing to a respectable crowd in the Twisted Pepper, Babybeef holds the stage solo, accompanied only by her drum machine, synth board and trusty Mac laptop. As she kicks off the launch of her debut album with ‘Get Go’, a catchy piece of electro plastic pop, her background video depicts dancing robots and is strangely similar to the animations found on dance machines in your local bowling alley. The video is fairly representative of the album as a whole; not lacking imagination or effort, but just the polish that comes with cash. Next up was the ‘Music’, its catchy synth melodies punctuated by simple staccato drums, giving the song a superbly realised darker edge.
‘I’m OK’ is heavier yet, with a thumping bassline that contrasts with the light, chirping electronic melodies, while Babybeef’s voice is heavily covered by echoing electronic mics. This makes it hard to discern the quality of her vocals, and as she moves onto her fifth song ‘Tell Me’, another issue emerges; though the songs are catchy, and having an Irish electro frontwoman is a much-needed addition to the current domestic scene, it’s hard for a one woman electro machine to maintain the interest. Soundboards are difficult to get dramatic with, and Babybeef doesn’t imbue her vocals with passion, making it hard to discern the advantages of seeing her live, as opposed to listening to her album. The bottom line, I guess, is that she is learning her trade, and can only get better. As she plays ‘Tell Me’ the melodies and echoey vocals are almost drowned out by the drone of the crowd’s conversation. However, she manages to get their attention back, with the rockier, jarring beats of ‘Thunderstruck’ making a real impact, finally prompting a few people to dance – and Babybeef to smile.