We’ve just returned from a great weekend at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton (big thanks to HPC Music Support!), where Pitou played two shows. Here’s what the press had to say about it:
The 405:
”Back inland, Amsterdam songwriter Pitou has found a beautifully appropriate setting for her set in the form of the Greek-style chapel of the Unitarian Church, a stunning building that alas is currently clad in restorative scaffolding. Inside though, the history and mystique is still in full exposure. Pitou is performing just days after the release of her excellent EP I Fall Asleep So Fast and the pews are filled for her arrival. She is flanked by two seraphic backing singers, the three spinning and diving in sophisticated vocal formations that reveal Pitou’s background in classical music. She introduces ‘Give Me a Glass’ by telling us that it’s a song about alcohol, so we’re likely all going to hell, but at least we got a little slice of heaven here first. These arrangements will work everywhere, but by the rousing reception at the end of this set, there is an understanding that this was a little special”. Full article here.
CLASH Magazine:
“Over at Komedia, rising Dutch star Pitou is absolutely sensational, layering harmonies with her two backing singers that one can only soak up and applaud.” Full article here.
God Is In The TV Zine:
“The front of the stage is lined with photographers ahead of Pitou’s Dutch Showcase which would be enough to make anyone feel a little like a lion at the zoo. But as soon as the first crisp sounds of her vocals cut through the PA, the singer’s in her element with a crowd mesmerised. Much like fellow earnest pop purveyors, Peggy Sue, Pitou’s four-strong band are her choir of echoes atop minimalist folk strings. The drummer plays tentatively at first, just hands and fingers, a primitive kind of percussion; fitting for a sound that clearly comes so naturally to them all. There are tUnE yArDs’ levels of dizzying details in the layered whimsy of recent single ‘Problems’, as the Amsterdam-born artist follows the song’s protagonist into the dark. Back to the limelight, she thanks the crowd for joining her: “You all have nice faces but the soul is more important. I can’t see your souls so I’ll have to assume you all have decent souls”. After all, there is dark and light but it’s what’s inside that really counts and Pitou is intelligently crafted folk-pop to the core.” Full article here.
Bloop Magazine:
”Dutch indie-folk sensation Pitou framed her emotionally intelligent commentaries within hypnotic harmonies and a wistful gaze. Komedia centre stage was her barstool at the pub, where she gushed to her crowd about how proud she was of her new EP and how grateful she was to us for abandoning the sunshine to listen to her play in a sweaty, underground basement. A charming smile flickered across her face as she layered harmony upon harmony for ‘Give Me a Glass’. It’s a curiously intellectual pop-folk song that explores how we see ourselves and the outside world after drinking, with its excellent production quality lending itself to stand out in a live set. It would be unfair to compare the Amsterdam-born musician’s sound to the likes of Laura Marling or Daughter, because her music is totally individualised by her spellbinding church-choir tone, intelligent lyricism that perfectly balances the darkness and light of human emotion, and way she uses multiple tiers of vocal harmonies as an instrument by themselves. ” Full article here.
For Pitou’s interview with Line Of Best Fit, see here.
