There’s a certain electricity that fills a venue when a full band takes the stage, often overshadowing solo support acts who must wrestle with the acoustics of a large room using only a guitar or keyboard. But Omeara—a 320-capacity gem in London’s live music scene—proves an exception. Even the opening act is given care and presence, complete with her own lit placard.
Dressed in flowing white and evoking a kind of angelic folklore, Dutch artist néomí captivated the audience from the moment she softly declared, “I don’t believe in a God I can’t see.” It was an arresting opener, introducing a set full of emotional weight. With a voice like a siren and a finely tuned falsetto, she delivered songs with serious themes tempered by dry humour about her “miserable love life.” It was an understated but intimate start, met with rare attentiveness from the crowd.
Excitement rippled through the sold-out venue as SYML, the moniker of Brian Fennell, took the stage flanked by a three-piece band. Touring in support of his new album Nobody Lives Here, Fennell transformed the stage with embroidered floral arrangements, adding a splash of warmth to Omeara’s brick-and-beam interior—what he affectionately described as having a “spooky Shakespearean” aura, despite being less than a decade old.
The set opened with “Careful”, a haunting piano-led number that instantly signaled Fennell’s intent: to share more of his soul through lush, atmospheric songwriting. “Please Slow Down” followed, with gentle folk guitar evoking Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”. Here, SYML explored themes of human connection and the quiet blessing of truly knowing someone. Songs like “You and I” carried that further—examining the paradox of desiring closeness while still craving distance and the serenity that comes with finding someone who balances both.
As the night unfolded, the sonic palette widened. “Meant to Stay Hid” and “Wake” were enriched by melancholy string arrangements and gentle tenor saxophone, while the title track “Nobody Lives Here” blended the lushness of Fleet Foxes with a rustic, country hue. “Fear of the Water”, already powerful on record, gained new depth live—thanks to Fennell’s echo-free, emotionally raw delivery. His ability to tap into life’s contradictory questions—“If this was meant for me, why does it hurt so much?”—resonated deeply.
In a rare moment of candid interaction, Fennell paused mid-set to field audience questions. He reflected on his time with former band Barcelona, joked about selling his @Barcelona Twitter handle to the Spanish city “without tariffs,” and humorously revealed that SYML songs written on piano tend to involve “more alcohol” than those on guitar. He also addressed the personal misinterpretations of “Heavy Hearts,” assuring the crowd it doesn’t signal trouble in his marriage.
Naturally, the set featured “Where’s My Love”, the song that earned platinum status in the UK and found a home on nearly every indie-folk playlist worldwide. Delivered with the same quiet devastation as when it first broke through, its irony wasn’t lost—Fennell once doubted it even belonged on a record.
The night closed on a powerful note with “Carry No Thing,” a full-band finale that blended lyrical tenderness with soaring instrumentation. “And I will carry no thing but my love for you,” he sang—offering a resolution to the emotional unrest explored earlier in the set. Fennell, a master of electro-acoustic melancholy, left the room not with sorrow, but with hope.
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