ARI MULLEN: “I bring a lot of who I am on stage”

A bubbly breath of fresh air, Ari Mullen’s set at Royal Parks Cellars last Friday evening radiated a joyful energy within the basement’s audience as she sang of heartbreak, childhood, and friends; there was an aura of closeness in that room, amplified by her infectious glee and emotive lyricism.

I had the pleasure of experiencing her music for the first time at her headliner last week. A half hour of emotional narrative, her set balanced fun whimsy with emotive beauty. Ari had the audience entranced all throughout, be it in the danceable grooves of the instrumentation’s bouncy rhythms or in her touching poetic lyrics.

Just before she graced the basement’s stage, I had the chance to chat to Ari outside RPP. Despite the bitter cold air, loud distractions, and occasional bursts of rain, she remained lively as she spoke passionately about her music, her bandmates, and her family. A smile permanently set on her face.

A “songwriter first, performer second”, as she put it herself, she described her music as an intertwining of her female inspirations as well as her childhood soundscapes – there’s a little bit of Phoebe Bridges, Gracie Abrams, and Taylor Swift, and yet also some Rolling Stones and The Smiths in her genius. She explained that this specific intertwining of influences felt like an important aspect of her writing; in drawing from the feminine artists that inspired her, there’s a sense of female empowerment resonating in her music, specifically in tracks like ‘My Love’, an homage to Alessi Rose’s ‘Oh My’. This is elevated in the rock n’ roll instrumentation from the guitar’s riffs and the grooving drums underpinning her songs.

Ari’s songwriting journey started at 12 years old. She now looks back at the voice recordings and note books with a cringing fondness: “my friends remember my songs from year 5!”. No wonder she had the whole audience singing along with her!

Her set began with a head-bopping americana-inspired track, backed by the steady walking pace of the drum groove. Singing of friendship and love over this pacing rhythm, the song felt like spilling secrets and feelings to a friend on a stroll around a scenic soundscape.

Opening with this track, Ari managed to establish the sense of closeness between her and her audience – we were who she was sharing her secrets with. Followed by a brief pause as she introduced herself, song two had a rather ethereal aura. The sweetly haunting vocal harmonies shared between her and her guitarist filled the spacious texture, mirroring ocean-like waves in the sibilance of the lyrics: “you say… so pretty”.

In my chat with Ari, she mentioned the next song was an important musical twist in her songwriting trajectory; ‘The Village’, as she named it, was introduced as a tribute to her roots in Sheffield. Having grown up in a little village, raised by parents with Irish backgrounds, this song was a reference to the memories associated with her childhood, and the sense of longing she has when thinking of her home. “A genre shift” to a more folky direction, especially with the violin feature on stage, it felt like an escape into a far away forest in the depths of a fairy town. Its instrumentation painted a picture of the childhood joy she spoke about with such warmth, especially in its whimsical Irish Jig-like rhythm. The verses’ lyrics were thrown at us with excitement and passion, and later slowed down in oxymoronic yearning in the refrains. “My life’s full of colour”, she sang. Further underlining the homesick nostalgic vibe, the guitar’s motif felt reminiscent of a British TV jingle, imitating the wistful feeling of sitting in your parents’ cozy living room, watching old reruns on TV with a cup of tea.

Although no one jigged or line danced as she requested, Ari had the entire room stomping and swaying with this unexpected folkier tune.

Quieting the jumpy playfulness, the next song welcomed a slow pause in energy – “let’s take it down a notch”. ‘My Love’s’ ballad tone held the audience in a lullaby embrace. The simplicity of the instrumentation left space for the yearning heartbreaking lyrics to plead, as the chords slowed down, dragging ever so slightly, to pull you into the next repeated “my love”.

At song number five Ari took to the keyboard. “Colour”, the first lyric in this song, perfectly encapsulated the melodic contour of the verse, so vibrantly decorated and yet only accompanied by the piano chords. As soon as the bass and drums came in, the aura became enticing, almost teasing, straight away personifying the song title. ‘The Game’, as it was called, was the most obviously rock n’ roll-inspired tune, heard in the vocal grit of her singing, the heavier pace of the rhythm, and the guitar’s richer tone. Perhaps the pedalling, pulsating beat in this song mirrored a heartbeat, beating after the thrill of the chase in the game she sings of.

Ari lulled the audience into the penultimate song’s shades of blue. An acoustic guitar, a keyboard, sighed vocals. The feeling felt whispered and hushed, a melancholy admittance to emotions. As the rest of the band trickled in, her lyrics and expressive tone switched to depict one of slight content – it seemed as the song grew in texture, so did her acceptance.

The final song in the set was definitely a crowd favourite; ‘Nice Girls Never Win’ had the richest instrumental texture and catchiest rhythm yet. Introduced by the stunning guitar riff, composed of a swirly tap/slide pattern, Ari’s vocals merged nicely in juxtaposition with the instrument’s rhythmic pattern. The rest of the band’s entrance marked the chorus’ momentous presence. The bass’ pulsing notes perfectly underlined the grooving vibe – a kind of depth you felt in your stomach – as Ari belted her repeated lyrics over the top. She expressed a giddiness in performing this track to the audience, dancing on stage with spirited energy. Her joyful vibe emphasised the themes of empowerment and female strength that she told me about. “It’s cliche… it’s about being sad that you’re upset by a man, but finding empowerment in it” – the perfect way to end her set.

In my chat with Ari, she teased that everyone should keep an eye out for this song’s release, very soon. Who knows, maybe we’ll hear this song again sooner than we think!

Ari Mullen’s set was a personification of her character: whimsically folky, joyfully radiating, and strongly passionate. Her songs, backed by her incredible band and friends, narrated the story of her feelings, her experiences, and her memories, through a gorgeous expressive lens.

Review from Liv McNally – @oliviaaalien