As the Brits nominations this week underlined, it’s a great time to be a woman in pop. The only obstacle for the surfeit of female musicians launching this year is standing out from the crowd. Tiffany Page, a 23-year-old Londoner, appears to have solved that problem. A gruff-voiced, guitar-toting singer-songwriter with hints of Chrissie Hynde, she has a corner of the market all to herself.
Whether her songs are strong enough to conquer the charts is another matter. On the first night of a four-week residency in the room above a newly renovated venue, the Garage, before a UK tour supporting Noisettes next month, she delivered pop-rock that was pleasant but only occasionally captivating. Her vocals, however, were always impressive and it didn’t hurt that she rather resembles Pen?lope Cruz.
Preceded on stage by a trio of black-clad men, including a guitarist and bassist with fringes over their faces, Page prowled on with a confidence that belied the fact that this was her first London gig. In a short, black, clingy mini-dress, patterned tights and flat shoes, banging a maraca against her head for the opening song Police, the former fashion student clearly had star quality. Yet the only memorable moments of the song were a nod to the Cure’s Lovecats and a frequently repeated swearword.
Page fared better with the forthcoming, first single Walk Away Slow, due out in March, on which she attacked an electric guitar, growled like a guy with a Marlboro habit and had the mostly male crowd nodding along. Some of her songs were more pop than rock, notably the fun, funky On Your Head, while 7 Years was a raspily sung, broody ballad on which she strummed an acoustic guitar.
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In a set just short of half an hour, one song stood out. From the moment it started, Heaven Ain’t Easy sounded like a surefire smash. An upbeat rocker that, in parts, recalled Yes’s Owner of a Lonely Heart, it had radio record written right through it. The crowd’s reaction gave Page a confidence boost as she finished the set with her sexiest, most convincing performance, shaking her maracas to a loose, lightly chaotic number called Playing With Fire. “I wrote down lots of things to say, but I’ve forgotten them,” Page giggled. When she starts playing to larger crowds, she should scrawl some jokes on the back of her hand.
Tonight, Boileroom, Guildford; Sat, Moles, Bath; Jan 25, Kasbah, Coventry; Jan 26, the Garage, London N5