Rhiannon Minto Brings Folk Intimacy to Sneaky Pete’s Debut
Written by Corrine Turner
Photography by Katy Knox
With 18 years of experience, Sneaky Petes welcomes local and upcoming artists to perform in the intimate venue, rounding off at a 100 person capacity. The size of the venue often makes gigs feel more real, as there’s nothing between fans and the artist, and no restricted views from the audience.
When choosing the venue for her debut gig, these are all things that Rhiannon Minto took into account. “I chose [Sneaky Petes] as I quite like where it is, and you can sort of add the vibe you want when you actually get here.”
Her set - at the back of the venue - was draped with lace tablecloths and vintage lamps, and definitely added a comfortable, home-like energy to the show, reflecting the music that she played.
During her debut, Rhiannon, along with her band, which she found through her University course, played a total of ten songs, with one being a mashup cover of ‘Waterloo Sunset’ by the Kinks and 'Fade Into You’ by Mazzy Star.
Rhiannon's sound leaned heavily into folk and alternative sounds. She had a clear theme that ran throughout many of her original songs; a tempo change, with most of the music starting off slowly, putting emphasis on her voice rather than the backing music, almost lulling you in until the chorus, when the band comes in heavy and quickly, and ending with the same slow tempo from the start.
The audience was particularly captivated by three of the songs on Rhiannon’s set. ‘Lips of Liquor’ had a vintage folk sound, and the vibrations and tones that Rhiannon used during this performance added depth and displayed a different side to her voice. ‘Amsterdam’ was a more upbeat song that Rhiannon performed. The standout element was the imagery; the lyrics really came through and allowed the audience to picture the song. With ‘Woman I Was’, it was the blend of the band and Rhiannon’s voice that stood out. The swell of the cymbal during the chorus made it feel intense, which climaxed as the band came in at the end of the verse.
In regards to upcoming music, Rhiannon explained she’s currently working on an EP, which is on track to be released before the end of the year. Her current plans are to include at least one of the songs she played at her debut gig.
“Hopefully there should be an EP by the end of the year... it will probably be released between Spotify and Bandcamp, just because Spotify is genuinely better for discovery – which is annoying, I wish it wasn’t that way – but a cross between the two might be the way forward.”
“If everything goes ahead with the EP, pretty soon we should have some visual content released to social media. I’m thinking five or six [songs] will be on the EP.”
Prior to this debut headline gig, Rhiannon released her first single ‘Frieda’, available to stream exclusively on Bandcamp. The song is written about the ongoing war in Palestine, with 100% of the proceeds donated to Reviving Gaza, who deliver humanitarian aid to those affected in the area.
“Because of [Frieda] being about Palestine, I didn’t want to put it on Spotify, so that’s a Bandcamp only song, but who knows, if anything changes with Spotify, then it might go on there.”
With her debut performance behind her and an EP on the horizon, Rhiannon Minto is one to watch as she expands her discography and her presence in the Scottish music industry.