SOHN w/ William Doyle and Nylo
Neptune Theatre, Seattle, WA
04.09.17

In support of his sophomore album, Rennen, soulful English singer, songwriter, and producer Toph Taylor, aka SOHN, stopped by Seattle’s Neptune Theatre to play his beautiful new songs for a crowd.

Just a few minutes before the first opener took the stage, the night was not looking promising. With about fifteen people standing in front of the stage, and only about twice as many seated upstairs, the venue was looking pretty barren. This didn’t affect Nylo’s performance at all though. She took the stage and delivered a smooth intro to the night, playing her electronic R&B passionately, loved by the crowd.

Next up for the night, and with just a few more crowd members, William Doyle, or East India Youth, shyly walked on stage dressed in a dark coat and skinny jeans. His set was an interesting ride, as you could never quite tell where it was going. The tracks were all pretty fast paced, electronic-heavy pop songs, with updated 80’s themes. With the easy fluidity of a Tame Impala set and the voice of a young Ben Gibbard, Doyle’s performance stumbled through a series of technical difficulties but overcame them for a nice set.

Finally walking onto his simple stage set up, SOHN took his seat front and center to open with “Tempest,” a track that introduces his powerful vocals balanced with an electronic feel. His music, live and in-studio, rides on the strength and quality of his voice. While a large part of the way he has made his music consists of drum pads, complex keyboards, and other synthetic sounds, his voice rings loud and clear.

“Hard Liquor” was definitely one of my favorite moments of the set, as it showcased his voice really well. It was versatile, powerful, and coupled with echoey effects, hauntingly beautiful as it rang through the venue.

After his main set, SOHN returned to the stage with two of his most popular songs for the crowd. Starting with “Rennen,” the title track to the album, the crowd watched in peaceful awe. He performs so passionately that you can’t help but feel something while watching, and with a sad, but a lovely song such as this one, it’s the perfect pair.

Finally, he closed the night with “Conrad,” probably his most mainstream track, but it’s popular for a good reason. It had a catchy melody with an infectious beat but didn’t drown out his musical style, just put his voice on display in a slightly different way. The track closed the set nicely, making it feel like a complete set.

Review and photos by Lulu Dawson

SOHN

William Doyle

Nylo