Annie Dressner @ The Attic, Leeds (20.03.25)
I was really looking forward to watching Annie Dressner having been a fan for a while now and overhearing a group talking about how they’d set off early to make sure they’d catch Annie, I knew I wasn’t alone. With the last-minute change of venue from Brudenell Social Club to The Attic, a small independent venue in the heart of Leeds. Having not heard of The Attic before I was excited to see what the latest addition to the great music scene that flows through this city had to offer. For such a small space, it oozed character and I knew straight away this would be somewhere I’d be telling everyone about.
Once I’d grabbed a drink and settled in, the venue started filling up fast. By the time 8 pm rolled around, there was a fantastic turnout as Annie took to the stage. As the lights dimmed the crowd fell silent in anticipation. Kicking things off with her 2002 single ‘I’ve Always Been Like This’, which was note-perfect, she had my attention instantly as this is one of the songs I know the least. After checking if anyone had ever been to upstate New York village Nyack, she delved way back in her catalogue with the namesake track from her 2020 record Coffee At The Corner Bar.
As the applause died down after ‘Nyack’, it was time for Annie to share some tracks from her last album I Thought It Would Be Easier, which she said herself is about just life in general and sometimes it’s harder than we expect. First from her latest album was one of my favourite tracks, ‘Lofted Houses’, and it was even better live than on the record.
Her latest single ‘For the Thrill of It’ came next and Annie’s passion for the subject was evident as she addressed the misogyny which she has personally experienced in the music industry. Following this we were straight back into I Thought It Would Be Easier with the 3 singles from the record: ‘Dance We Do’ followed by ‘18 Years’ – which everyone embraced the sing-along instigated by Annie herself with the line “Maybe she was right the whole time”. Finishing up with arguably her best, ‘Black and White’ – full of all the emotion you’d expect from this song Annie closed a brilliant performance.
I left happy, finally being able to catch such a wonderful live act, discovering a new venue and if that wasn’t enough after chatting to Annie at the end, it seems new music is on the horizon, let’s hope the wait isn’t too long.
For more from Annie Dressner, check out her official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
