For the third show of her first headlined tour, Bebe Stockwell graced The Southern Café and Music Hall Saturday with her upbeat attitude and optimistic lyricism. Beginning just after 9 p.m., her 90-minute set included an array of Stockwell’s originals and covers deeply loyal to her folk persona. The crowd fell victim to Stockwell’s contagious smile as she carried them through the 24-year-old’s set.
Stockwell was born and raised in Boston with her childhood guitar teacher shifting her towards acoustic and bluegrass sounds from an early age. Her career has consisted of collaborations with notable indie folk artists, including The Lumineers’ Wesley Schultz and Caamp. Stockwell’s second folk album, “Volume 1,” was released in June and is a raw depiction of falling in and out of love with homages to her New England upbringing.
Emerging Appalachian folk artist Gabrielle Hope opened the night at 8 p.m. by capturing the American folk spirit with only her acoustic guitar. Her bluegrass cover of Kate Bush’s “Running Up that Hill (A Deal With God)” drew especially loud cheers among the crowd, who all took to joining Hope in a sing-along. She expressed that this was her first show near the Shenandoah Valley, and that she was excited to be strumming near Appalachia.
Stockwell’s fan-curated playlist linked the sets together during an intermission, including many folk favorites such as River Whyless’ “Motel 6” and a cover of Tyler Childers’ “Jersey Giant.” In true Bostonian fashion, Stockwell and her band walked out to Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” — the song which plays in the middle of every eighth inning at the Boston Red Sox’s home games.
Stockwell’s drummer, Aaron Goodrich, got the set started with light brushes to his kit as the band dove into their first song of the night, “Minor Inconveniences.” Stockwell’s excitement quickly grew contagious, with audible excitement drumming up among concertgoers.
Tipping a cap to the venue’s location, she covered John Denver’s “County Roads” with an untraditional inclusion of drums, maracas and sambas. Stockwell and her band transitioned to more autumnal energy with her song “Adeline,” a ballad about a woman noticing her partner’s mind on someone else in the midst of harvest season. The song brought louder drums than the studio version and a rapid energy that galvanized the audience even further.
Before each song, Stockwell took a minute to illustrate their inspirations — often being lessons learned from friendships, personal experiences and even works in literature and film. Her explained experiences were ubiquitous to the many crowd members who nodded their heads along to Stockwell’s repetition of “Has anyone been there?”
This level of solidarity continued throughout the night when Stockwell sang “Look At Us Now,” an ode to her hometown friends achieving their childhood dreams. The song celebrated female friendship, as Stockwell began to give older sibling-like advice. In a written statement to The Cavalier Daily, Diana Reidy, audience member and fourth-year College student, wrote she found Stockwell’s soothing energy notable.
“Her ability to communicate with not only her band but the audience left an incredible impression on me.” Reidy said. “She made this concert more engaging for everyone as she was able to be vulnerable about her inspiration for her songs and even performed well known covers that one could argue were better than the originals. By the end, she felt more like a big sister than just a performing artist.”
Stockwell went on to play some of her unreleased songs, offering the audience an early introduction for soon-to-be released work. Stockwell explored outside the folk genre with clear influences of jazz and pop representing the versatility of her and her band. Stockwell carries a soul-infused voice, a sound that is multifaceted across genres, allowing her to incorporate various music influences.
Making sure to cover all the bases of her young yet accomplished career, she took the set back to 2022 by singing her first song ever released, “Love Me Back.” Here, bass player Sophia Damiani amplified her fluidity with her instrument as she accented Stockwell with delicate and defined plucks.
Stockwell closed her set with the most buoyant tracks from her latest album. “Hard to Find” expressed optimism about the beginnings of a relationship, and “When you Know” alluded to the feelings of recognizing someone is in love. Fittingly, her and the band ended on a high note.
The venue’s lights came on at 10:40 p.m., although Stockwell’s show was not quite over. The artist instead walked out to meet her fans in the audience, taking the time to speak to waiting fans. Stockwell and concertgoers spoke often about her music, inspirations and artistic advice — reflecting her commitment to making her shows feel like a personal experience.
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