Last Saturday, the beautiful building of The Barbershop & Co has been the stage for the first ‘Rockstone Presents’ concert. It was definitely one to be proud of. The indie folk band JARA, who are from The Hague, officially released the new single. Their warm-hearted music perfectly matched the intimacy of the setting. Valerie Branoux, a singer-songwriter who’s also from The Hague, supported their amazing act. This made it an even bigger success. If you weren’t lucky enough to attend it, don’t be sad, because the concept of Rockstone Presents will definitely be one to continue.
You probably heard of JARA through their debut EP called Sky Collector, which was released in 2013. Their songs have been described as imaginative indie pop – like a strong breeze from the seaside, singing secrets of the heart. This poetic description is definitely also applicable on the two songs they launched in The Barbershop. Before this release, Valerie Branoux and Jara Holdert, lead singer of JARA, welcomed the crowd with a couple of beautiful acoustic duets. They alternately lead some songs and the seventy people who attended their show got warmed up easily. Valerie ended the performance with a beautiful electric song that she played on her own.
After this amazing warm-up, it was time for the main act. The audience seemed to be curious for the new songs, but had to wait a while before the new combi single got released. Since waiting meant attending an awesome JARA show, nobody could complain of course. The band have proved to be a great act on huge outdoor stages with a substantial crowd. Besides that, they have the reputation to adapt easily to a smaller, intimate setting. A characteristic they absolutely confirmed this night. Because of the cosy, yet professional setting, the audience was in close contact with the band. Songs got introduced, questions got answered and the band’s energy effortlessly passed on to an enthusiastic crowd.
The combi single they released consist of two songs called Moving Me and Sorrow. At this moment they are available on Itunes, Spotify, CD and you can even order them by mail. Besides that, it’s possible to listen to them on the band’s website. At the concert itself, the audience had the unique opportunity to buy the CD, with an epic cover design, for any price they wanted to pay for it. Both songs are beautiful and clearly recognisable as JARA songs. Moving Me is a quite dynamic song, whereas Sorrow is a bit calmer. In both tracks the amazing voice of Jara Holdert stands out, even though the music supporting this is of the same high quality. It’s recommended to judge it yourself and therefore to obtain the songs by any of the options given above. Furthermore, you’re more than welcome to join the next Rockstone Presents, because it’s advised to join a great night like this as well.
