Waiting For A Kiss From Faith - Lucy Hall
Last summer, Moths and Giraffes saw a gig for the first time in sixteen months. The EP release show was for Lucy Hall’s ‘Lines’, a collection of five songs recorded during lockdown and released in July 2021. That EP was preceded by its title track, and now Lucy is ready to share the song’s accompanying music video.
Image credit: Taylor Torr.
‘I'm so excited for people to see the video for Lines - it feels so good to see what started out just as an idea, finally on a screen. The song itself is about drawing a line under a relationship where the other person wasn't entirely comfortable with their sexuality, and this song for me represents having the courage to step away from something that wasn't right for me, even though it hurt like hell. I have always known that I am incredibly fortunate to have such supportive family and friends, but this made me see first hand how the religious views of family can still be the cause of a lot of pain for LGBTQ+ folks.’ – Lucy Hall
Beginning with piano during Lucy Hall’s first verse, her voice is intimate and soulful from the opening line, ‘Oh, tried my best to get used to this, while we nurse our bruises…’ Hall’s vocal is from the heart, as can be expected from the lived experience. But a heartfelt vocal could easily overpower the overall arrangement, which Lucy does not. She strikes the balance perfectly between baring her soul and servicing the song. The production too avoids making ‘Lines’ too busy, allowing Hall’s songwriting to breathe – this is due in part to her collaborator.
‘Lines’ and the rest of the EP were recorded with her flatmate Tom Powell. The award-winning vocalist has worked with Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), has performed at the Royal Albert Hall and previously supported Olly Murs.
It was a shock to discover the natural sounding drums the duo recorded in their flat were actually electronic, as previously revealed in our Q&A following Hall’s EP release show. During the gig, Hall gave Powell a shout-out, imparting to the audience that he’d put an organ on every one of the EP’s songs. Tom’s honest response from the crowd was, ‘Love an organ. Churchy vibes.’
Image Credit: Taylor Torr.
Lucy explains how she wanted to translate the message of Lines into a music video, approaching film-maker Taylor Torr with her concept:
‘When I originally started thinking about a video, I had some vague thoughts in my head that were all quite nebulous; I wanted to be in a setting that reflected the religious aspect of the song, but most importantly I wanted the video to be simple, honest and raw - no frills. I brought some ideas from the videos of other artists that I love, and Taylor was fantastic at being able to collect those thoughts and put the plan into action. It was a full day of filming - right from morning through to evening, but we made sure to have plenty of snacks on hand and Taylor put me totally at ease throughout. It was the first time I've done something on video that's not me just in front of a camera in my living room!’ – Lucy Hall
Image Credit: Taylor Torr.
“I’ll never forget Lucy’s reaction to the first cut - ‘How did you make a super nerd like me actually look so effortlessly cool!?’ This has to be one of the best reactions I’ve ever had from a first edit.” – Taylor Torr
Lucy Hall is full of confidence in the Lines video. She takes the charisma she has when performing on stage and translates it effortlessly to the camera. Though the locations used in the production certainly set the tone, it’s the emotion Lucy channels through the song that makes this such a fitting video.
Taylor Torr is an entire team amalgamated into one human. Working behind the camera as well as producing, directing and doing post-production, Torr has created music videos for other artists such as lilo (who supported Lucy at her EP launch), Prima Queen and Rosehip Teahouse. Taylor explains more about shooting the video for Lines:
‘Lucy was super transparent from the start about the meaning behind the song, and I felt like this created a great sense of trust between us. As a predominantly self shooting director, I’ve always found there's something special about working 1 on 1 with an artist. You get to see first hand their growth & transformation. When choosing the locations, Asylum Chapel was such a refreshing backdrop to film in. It had such a rustic feel to it & was the perfect setting to hint at religion without spelling anything out. We also filmed on Blackheath with an almost serendipitous sunset to end! Overall it was such a joy working with Lucy, I hope people see what a beautiful artist she is, inside and out.’ – Taylor Torr
With such genuine writing, all of the songs on Lucy Hall’s ‘Lines’ EP deserve the brilliant visual representation its title track has been given here. After her successful launch show at The Water Rats last summer, fans can expect Lucy to be giving more performances of her music around London in 2022. For her Lines music video, Lucy has one more thing to say:
‘I am feeling proud, grateful, and so looking forward to it being out in the world, and I hope that other people love it as much as I do.’ – Lucy Hall
Image Credit: Taylor Torr.
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Lucy Hall’s ‘Lines’ EP is available to download and stream in all the usual places.
For news of upcoming live performances, visit Lucy Hall’s official website.
Follow Lucy Hall on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @lucyhallmusic.
For more information about the work of Taylor Torr, visit her website.
Follow Taylor Torr on Instagram @taylortorr.
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