After a delay from February 11th, new girl group SVN finally perform their debut concert.
Rating: ★★★★★
Venue: O2 Academy, Islington
Date: August 7th 2022
Who are SVN?
SVN is a girl group featuring seven of the original UK tour/West End cast members of the hit musical Six: Jarneia ‘Jaye J’ Richard-Noel, Millie O’Connell, Natalie Paris, Alexia ‘Lexi’ McIntosh, Aimie Atkinson, Maiya Quansah-Breed and Grace Mouat. Born during a WhatsApp chat in the COVID-19 lockdown, the idea to form a girl group featuring the original Six queens goes as far back as their Edinburgh Fringe stint in 2017. Quickly becoming a fan favourite on the back of Six’s global success, the group’s roots in the musical were on full display as the concert started with a countdown video montage comprising of heartwarming and fun moments both backstage and in the studio.
Following a meet and greet with SVN where I pretty much gushed about each of them and talking about attending the Six proshot filming (a blog post coming soon which I stupdily forgot to copy over following my move to this blog), I went into the O2 Academy’s autotorium which instantly set the mood. Filled with both SVN and Six stans, I could feel an instant sense of community that reflected the group’s diversity whether that be race, body type, sexuality or gender identity. In fact, this succeeded for me personally as I managed to get added to an SVN group chat!
Who were the supporting acts?
Lois Morgan Gay
Lois Morgan Gay is a London based musical theatre performer and singer/songwriter whose first album will be released at the end of 2022. Her smooth and soulful voice as she sang beautiful songs surrounding relationships, heartbreak and yearning including her single Don’t Be That Guy, and a gorgeous demo of a never before heard song that closed her set.
Check out Lois Morgan Gay’s Spotify here.
Lordin
Lordin is an LGBTQ+ pop, R’n’B singer, rapper and performer based in London whose music is inspired by his sexuality and mixed heritage. Previously working with SVN member Grace Mouat in &Juliet, where I just happened to see his amazing performance as May in the show, his music featured some absolute bangers that got the crowd going. With catchy R’n’B songs including Princess Diana, Hold Hands and Don’t You Want My…, Lordin’s messages of pride and anti-homophobia were loud and clear in the best possible ways.
Check out Lordin’s Spotify page here.
What was the setlist like?
To say both sets were the unabashed celebration of womanhood and pride that SVN set out to do when forming the group would be an understatement. Comprising of covers and original songs, the musical and thematic influences from artists including Little Mix, Fifth Harmony, Beyonce and Jessie J were on full display without ever feeling preachy or forced. In fact, the latter artist makes sense as the group’s first recorded song was a cover of Queen, one that they gorgeously recreate in this concert.
The concert started with their anthem Stars that instantly set up the high energy and fun the septet carried with such confidence you’d forget this was their first headliner. With high impact choreography featuring some familiar West End faces as backup dancers (shoutout to Billy Nevers and Rhys Wilkinson from &Juliet), numbers that hyped up the audience include Louisa Johnson’s YES, Thunder and their never before heard single Boss (one that I’ll be listening to for days).
None of the above is to say there weren’t moments the concert slowed down with ballads, all of them showcasing the group’s near heavenly harmonies. Bringing back (recent) memories of the group in Six, just a few gorgeous covers I have to mention are Lorde’s Royals, Ariana Grande’s God Is A Woman and acoustic versions of Beyonce’s End of Time and Six’s Heart of Stone – a song which according to Millie has been sung 37,000 times!
Were there any standouts?
What kept the heart throughout the concert was the bond the group shared. Having worked together for almost five years, you could see the genuine friendship they all have onstage and the chemistry was insane. With seven members to follow it’d be easy to have two or three standouts while the rest were left in the background. However, SVN didn’t come to play with that nonsense. While all the songs had their gorgeous voices blend together as one unit, there were plenty of moments when each member got to shine. And to make a point of it, here’s a list of what makes every queen unique:
- Grace Mouat’s whistle notes
- Maiya Quansah-Breed’s riffing
- Aimie Atkinson’s rock style high notes
- Natalie May Paris’ belting
- Alexia McIntosh’s tongue twisting rap breaks
- Jarneia Richard-Noel’s soulful R’n’B vocals
- Millie O’Connell’s infectious energy
What really sealed the group’s bond was their original anthem Woman, a song they are clearly passionate about as many were teary eyed while singing it. An empowering song about being strong and powerful women together, it’s also a song that struck a chord with the audience as we all waved our paper hearts in the air.
What are my overall thoughts?
I think it’s safe to say my thoughts on SVN are they’re one of a kind, no category (sorry, I had to end this with at least one Six pun). If this was their first concert, I can’t wait to see what else comes from them both individually and as a group. Boasting unbelievable vocals and an empowering message that was loud and clear, I can see a lot of teens and young adults relating to them now that there’s room for a new generation of girl groups. With other projects coming from them on and offstage, it’s safe to say I’ve been converted into a SVN fan.
If you want to get the gorgeous outfits the group are wearing in my meet and greet photo, then you can grab your own SVN merch here (not affiliated)!
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