Bishop Briggs and Misterwives share the stage with newcomer Natalie Jane to bring a night of unique and strong vocals to Columbus, OH.
Natalie Jane owes a good amount of notoriety to being on American Idol in 2020. She has yet to release a full album but has signed a deal with Capital Records and she’s only 19! She had a strong supporting performance with a single drummer on stage. Shamelessly, she made sure to let everyone know who she was with several large LED screens with her name on them. She has a light upper range that allows her to trill her voice similar to Mariah Carey. This was made evident in her cover of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” and her hit, “Door Die.” It will be interesting to see where this pop singer evolves from here.
Bishop Briggs was also on a game show this year. She won The Masked Singer season 9 in May. After proposing to Landon Jacobs from Sir Sly, they brought a baby boy into the world in 2022. She was also heartbroken when her sister passed away from ovarian cancer. Kelly was such a big part of her sister’s life, that she was Bishop’s tour manager for a time.
With all the things that have happened to and for Bishop Briggs over the last few years, it was unclear what her performance was going to be like. On stage, she jumped and bellowed; smiled and sweat. She spoke of being happy to be in Columbus and it showed on her face. She described herself as the gooey center of the show. She had a shy, flirtatious, and humble persona on stage which transformed into a powerful, commanding vocal treat.
Her performance seems like entertainment on the surface with a deeper personal healing session for her. She understands the healing and destructive effect it can have on her to sing about the loss of her sister every night. She doesn’t need to be defined by the events of her life but she embraces the power of those emotions in each of her performances.
Unfortunately, during her speaking moments, it was difficult for anyone outside of the front row to pick up on more than a word or two. If they could somehow adjust her speaking levels and go back to her singing levels, the problem would have been fixed. Nevertheless, people blindly cheered her on without understanding her words. The lyrics were another story. The audience knew what she was going to sing before she sang them and chimed in on every song.
Mandy Lee and the boys have also had their share of turmoil. In 2020, Misterwives were dropped by their label during the pandemic. Drummer Etienne and vocalist Mandy Lee announced their divorce, and one of the original band members left the band.
They have since replaced their bandmate. Despite the split, Etienne and Mandy Lee worked together tirelessly to put out Nosebleeds which was released in July on their own label, Resilient Little Records. And tonight, they drew the long straw and headlined the Don’t Look Down Tour in Columbus. This was a co-headline show, so Bishop Briggs and Misterwives take turns being the last to perform.
In an effort to continue moving forward, more than half of Misterwives’ 18-song set came from the Nosebleeds. It is a victorious departure from their previous albums. Everything is still there but the sound and lyrics are now empowering and heavier. It was hard to focus on anything other than vocalist Mandy Lee on stage when Misterwives performed. Even when she is up in the Nosebleeds and rafters, all eyes are on her. Her style is just as striking as her vocals and performance.
All three performers for the evening have a style and self-appointed brand that they hold true to but the most striking similarity among all three of them is their vocal stylings. They all have a powerful and distinctive sound that is all their own. They have all experienced strong blows to their lives and careers but they chose to be defined by their talent and their triumphs.
