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On Thursday 5th September critically-acclaimed folk-pop duo Flyte, the project of Will Taylor and Nick Hill,  played an intimate gig at the Y Theatre in Leicester, joined by up-and-coming Indie-pop artist M. Field. Flyte’s most recent album was self-titled, exploring love in all its early forms, but their gig here covered songs from across all three of their albums.

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The show opened with a set by M. Field, a friend of the duo as well as their guest act.  His melodic and serene songs set a wonderful tone for the evening: he began with a song titled ‘Scorpion Fish’, a gentle performance, ending with a transition into his dreamy falsetto which was a prominent feature of the majority of the songs in his set. Immediate shouts of “wow” erupted from members of the audience, and the support and enthusiasm radiating from everyone in the room created a very positive and enjoyable atmosphere.

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His set was very stripped back – just M. Field, his guitar, and several rounds of tuning, in which his shy humour shone through in his interactions with the audience. The acoustic nature of the performance allowed his lyrical storytelling to come to the forefront, with lyrics such as “How much do I love you? How long is a piece of string?” (the ending to his song ‘Saturn’s Rings’) leaving people in s state of soft contemplation. M. Field’s finger-picking style was a successful choice, allowing him to build counter-melodies and add more depth to the accompaniment, despite it just being one man on the stage. As his set finished and we waited in anticipation for the main act, Flyte, to take to the stage, I realised that his performance was reminiscent of early Ed Sheeran.

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As Will Taylor and Nick Hill made their entrance, they were met with a very warm reception, as the packed-out Y Theatre cheered them loudly. It was very quickly evident how knowledgeable the audience were - the announcement of the song ‘Moon Unit’, a song from their first album ‘The Loved Ones’ from 2017, garnered much excitement and whooping. The song was more of an anthem, with a soaring chorus in which both of their vocals blended together to sing out the lyric “moon unit”.

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The experience of the pair came through in their smooth and humorous anecdotes, mixing self-deprecation with some pretty big name drops. Taylor spoke at length about the events that led to actress Florence Pugh coming over to his apartment to cover one of their songs, the morning after the Oppenheimer premier in London. Another insightful tale was in regards to their song ‘Chelsea Smiles’: a stand-still for seven years in which they had the melody and chord progression but no lyrics led them to emailing renowned poet Simon Armitage for help, although in the end they chose to combine three different versions of their won lyrics to create the song they have today. Their general conversational and calm style made the gig feel very friendly and intimate – the kind of vibe they were aspiring for, as they are going on to perform in several churches across the country.

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Again, the set was just the two of them with their guitars, a very different experience from having their band with them, they commented. This made their haunting harmonies all the more clear, and it was clear that as they performed the audience were hanging on to their every note.

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Near the end of the gig, it was time for audience participation, and we were all taught the melody to the chorus of the country-inspired song ‘Bedtime Reminder’, inspired by a feature on Apple phones when you set your morning alarm. The lyrics were undeniable catchy, as I caught myself singing them with an exaggerated country twang the next day. In such a way, the music flowed seamlessly from soft, to vibrant, to moody, and ending with “our best attempt at a love song.” However just before they left the stage, they stirred up even more excitement, announcing a new project for release next year, as well as revealing that they are currently working on writing a musical for the West End.

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In a music industry where the likes of Noah Kahan and Hozier find success, I think Flyte fit right in. Their gig was peaceful, romantic, funny – all the components of a wonderful evening. And if they have the approval stamp of Florence Pugh herself, there is no reason for us all not to be fans.