Joel Stoker, lead singer of renowned indie outfit The Rifles, is a prolific singer-songwriter in his own right.
Solo release, ‘The Undertow’, is an album that is a lot more personal to Joel, and this certainly came across in his stripped-back performance. He came on following a warm-up from Turncoat Billy who featured frank and funny lyrics in his sublime acoustic set.
Joel’s performance started with ‘Words Fail’ which set the tone for a sombre and reflective gig. Joel proved himself to be a master of metaphors, particularly in ‘I Go To Sleep’. He did, however, take the opportunity to crack jokes with the audience between songs and upped the tempo midway through the set with ‘Until I Find My Mind’ – which, although more upbeat, still featured resounding lyrics about finding oneself.
As the evening continued, patrons’ toe-tapping turned into swaying and singing along as the gig drew to a close with ‘The Great Depression’. Despite the title, everyone was in high spirits as Joel sang his final song from the album.
Joel’s music created a chilled vibe for the evening which was the perfect blend between thoughtful lyrics and catchy choruses.
