As a friend and I arrived a few minutes late to Live Wire Music Hall on River Street on Wednesday night for a show by up-and-coming British star Laura Marling, we noticed a number of young people sitting and standing outside the club, where they could still hear Marling’s intense, airy vocals.
They were outside because they weren’t allowed inside, because of Savannah’s inane ordinance excluding 18-20 year olds from any live music venue that is also a bar.
Inside, it was a little like church, with a rapt audience hanging on every word and movement of the central figure — the black-clad, pale-skinned Marling whose piercing eyes and pure voice seemed to channel some power over there on the other side somewhere.
Live Wire can be a tough spot for photos when the red gels are in the stagelights, as they were for most of the time that I was there. But I worked my way through the sizable crowd between songs to a spot along the east wall where the sightlines were pretty good. I love the sort of pained ecstasy in her face in a few of these.
Marling also tried out her new 12-string guitar, which you can see in the picture to the left. It seems almost as big as she is.
For those who don’t know Marling or her sound, check out the video for a sample. My photos are below. Congrats to all involved for getting a rising star like Marling to Savannah.
