Laura Marling 2/3 Concert @ Casbah

English folk songwriter Laura Marling dropped by the Casbah last Wednesday. Marling is on tour for her new album I Speak Because I Can [Astralwerks} which will be released this April. The maturity in Marling’s performance was immediately noticeable and a standout characteristic of the show. Marling, freshly 20 by a few days, began her musical success at the age of 16. A few MySpace tracks and some worthy gigs landed her in the limelight. Both the character in her voice and the depth of her song writing make it seem ridiculous that Marling has just entered her twenties. Tackling the stage and a fairly unfamiliar crowd at the Casbah, Marling put on a worthwhile set with some intricate guitar work, delicate song arrangements and a voice that was weathered in the best of ways. Her ability to carry the room (a tough feat for some full bands) on vocal melodies was well complemented by her backing band, which shared several members with opener Nathaniel Rateliff & The Wheel. Speaking of which, Nate & the Gang put on an excellent performance as well, demonstrating a lot more liveliness and energy than the album versions of their tracks.
Marling will be in California until the 6th-with dates in LA and SF–before heading to Canada. While waiting for her new album, you can check out some tracks from 2008′s Alas, I Cannot Swim on her MySpace.
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Laura Marling’s MySpace
Nathanial Rateliff & The Wheel’s MySpace