Amy Vee

...With just a guitar, some effective use of the loop pedal and of course her voice, a sweet sensitivity seemed to resonate around the room and make you just want to melt away. And indeed this was the act that made the crowd put down their forks, end their conversations and just soak up the music.

Now not knocking any of the acts before it, but Amy’s was a clear example of an experienced and clearly solidified singer. Such a strong vocal performance that matched any album recording, but with an additional warmth that comes with a live performance. Her set mainly consisted of songs from her latest EP ‘Sleeping Dogs Lie’ which Amy described as an album all about rocking the boat, saying “in order to make big positive changes in your life, sometimes you’ve got to shake things up a bit”. She also included songs from her previous band The Virtues.

‘Enough for Now’ Amy introduces as the first “political song she attempted” and went on say that it “couldn’t be more relevant than it is now”. And undeniably this upbeat, animated acoustic pop track with driving lyrics and trouble free yet slightly haunting melody is definitely one of the strongest on the EP, and somewhat reminiscent of Sarah Blasko. Some really intricate guitar playing was shown for ‘Heart Shaped Space’, and with Amy essentially creating her own backing track with just her voice and the loop pedal, a subtle guitar riff proved enough to carry the song through. ‘Borrowing from Thieves’, perhaps the most lyrically driven song on the EP, was sung with the soul, hunger and passion of an artist so clearly on the verge of that ‘big break’. And although the sound guy might have been signalling her to wrap it up after only a small set, the crowd certainly weren’t. Nevertheless, she ended with the beautiful closing track of the EP ‘Fall to Zero’, with the line “Curling up to a warm cup of resolve, I forget what I was frightened of” pretty much summing up the mood that had by now permeated the room.

Confessing her love for this local venue, Amy admitted it’s been a while since she had played at Lizottes, and despite her recent international tour in the UK, admitted to the crowed “I know everyone sais this but I still consider this venue to be my favourite place in the world to sing… and they don’t pay me extra to say that”. I got to talk to her after the show to find out what was coming up next, and it’s definitely going to be a busy year, but all promising news. She’ll be heading further north, continuing her regional tour of NSW and Qld, as well as working on an album of live recordings so keep an eye out for that. She also said she wanted to go back to the UK in 2012 and hopefully get on some festival line-ups, and who knows maybe even some Australian ones.

I really can’t recommend her EP more, so for more information on where to buy it go to her website: amyvee.com

Jessica Willard, Optus Sounds Scribe - Optus Sound Scribe

"Vee is a fine vocalist, with a unique style and delivery that are captured expertly on the title track "All in Me." However, it is on the stripped down tracks "Friendly Fire" and "Where You Are" where the raw talent of Amy Vee finally takes center stage... before she leaps to conquer new musical ground, take some time to enjoy this charismatic and talented young artist.”

Gregory Joseph, 2 Walls Webzine - 2 Walls Webzine (NY)

I met up with Amy Vee on the twelfth date of her 14 date UK tour. A busy schedule for a stay of only 28 days, that has seen her travel the length and breadth of the country. Tonight’s venue was a themed bar nestled amongst the markets of London’s trendy Camden - a drinking hole adorned with Che Guevara pictures and Latin American knick-knacks.

Amy had agreed to let me interview her so after initial greetings and introductions, we chatted above the din of The Cuban’s clientele. Realising that we would never hear each other over the noise, we wandered out to the side of the bar, drinks in hand, to find a spot quiet enough to record. Amy was easy to talk to and her answers were insightful and honest. A confident yet humble character, Amy refreshingly lacked an over inflated ego. I suppose I could say that Amy Vee is just like any other normal person. However, when she starts to sing, you realise that this demure Australian is anything but ordinary.

Her set at The Cuban consisted of five or so songs spanning her career from her time with The Virtues all the way up to her new EP – Sleeping Dogs Lie. Accompanied by guitar, melodica and the occasional vocal loop, this was as stripped back as it could possibly be and it demonstrated just how accomplished an artist Amy truly is.

Amy sings with a clarity that is rarely heard nowadays. Her voice floats through the air and washes over you leaving an indelible imprint of the purity her vocals provide. Lyrically, Amy manages to connect with one’s heart; soul even. Both uplifting and melancholic, she uses her song writing skills to communicate what so many of us can’t.

As the night came to an end, I walked with Amy along Camden High Street towards the nearest Tube station, chatting as though we had known each other for a lot longer than the 3 or 4 hours it had actually been. It was a fitting end to what was a fantastic evening and one that I will remember for a long time.

- Lou Stevens, Wohomusic - Wohomusic.net

Distancing herself from the sizzling, electrified approach of her pop-rock outfit The Virtues, Newcastle’s favorite rock-chick Amy Vee has swapped her searing electric guitar for fingerpicked, nylon-string acoustics for her first solo foray, the recently released EP Sleeping Dogs Lie.

A fine, folk-infused collection of acoustic songs, the five tracks present on the record carry Vee’s signature warm, nocturnal vocal delivery, with the slower, unhurried pace and laid-back delivery lending her songs an often melancholic feel, even when she exercises her wry and ready sense of humor.

Meandering through Sleeping Dogs Lie, listeners will find Vee accompanied only by a lilting acoustic guitar, thumping double bass and her melodic voice, often double-tracking her vocals, to create an effect of spaciousness inside her beautiful songs.

Long-time fans of The Virtues’ signature eclectic rock musings may find Vee’s change in direction hard to digest, with her gentle lyrics of love and life more reminiscent of the world-weary folk ruminations of Joni Mitchell than the howls of classic female rockers, such as Debbi Harry and Chrissy Hynde, that she once evoked.

Along with Laura Marling, Emmy the Great, Lisa Mitchell and Florence and the Machine, Amy Vee has made a sterling contribution to the recent surge of female-fronted folk music with this lovely little EP.

Taking the songs of Sleeping Dogs Lie to live audiences around Australia and the UK later this year, audiences can expect wonderful performances from Amy Vee, a truly impressive yet grounded Australian singer.

Review Score: 7.5/10

Jennifer Peters, The AU Review - The AU Review

Distancing herself from the sizzling, electrified approach of her pop-rock outfit The Virtues, Newcastle’s favorite rock-chick Amy Vee has swapped her searing electric guitar for fingerpicked, nylon-string acoustics for her first solo foray, the recently released EP Sleeping Dogs Lie.

A fine, folk-infused collection of acoustic songs, the five tracks present on the record carry Vee’s signature warm, nocturnal vocal delivery, with the slower, unhurried pace and laid-back delivery lending her songs an often melancholic feel, even when she exercises her wry and ready sense of humor.

Meandering through Sleeping Dogs Lie, listeners will find Vee accompanied only by a lilting acoustic guitar, thumping double bass and her melodic voice, often double-tracking her vocals, to create an effect of spaciousness inside her beautiful songs.

Long-time fans of The Virtues’ signature eclectic rock musings may find Vee’s change in direction hard to digest, with her gentle lyrics of love and life more reminiscent of the world-weary folk ruminations of Joni Mitchell than the howls of classic female rockers, such as Debbi Harry and Chrissy Hynde, that she once evoked.

Along with Laura Marling, Emmy the Great, Lisa Mitchell and Florence and the Machine, Amy Vee has made a sterling contribution to the recent surge of female-fronted folk music with this lovely little EP.

Taking the songs of Sleeping Dogs Lie to live audiences around Australia and the UK later this year, audiences can expect wonderful performances from Amy Vee, a truly impressive yet grounded Australian singer.

Review Score: 7.5/10

Jennifer Peters, The AU Review - The AU Review

Plucking guitar strings, violin strings, heart strings

Over the last decade Novocastrian singer-songwriter Amy Vee has been a soloist, frontwoman of rock outfit The Virtues
and a vocalist with Groove Terminator. Her latest release sees Vee come full circle with a five-track EP of moody,
acoustic folk-pop. One constant in her career has been Vee’s vocal ability – there’s no denying the sweet crispness of her
voice and the emotion she is able to convey. The EP’s weakness is that the emotional spectrum ranges from gentle
melancholy to a more general sense of gloom and dismay. This isn’t to say it lacks beauty – the sparsely arranged,
percussionless Borrowing From Thieves is ethereal stripped-back folk. Heart-Shaped Space, complete with vocal
harmonies and gently brushed snare, is an enchanting study of unrequited love. Then there’s Enough For Now, which
canters along as cello and violin swirl around the intricate vocals. All pretty, if only she’d smile.

NILS HAY
- Rave Magazine

Having built a live following as the singer of smouldering rockers The Virtues, Amy Vee is returning to her roots as a solo folk singer with Sleeping Dogs Lie. This intimate five-track release is sparse and minimalist, Vee's voice and guitar occasionally picking up a string part like a sleepy hitchhiker.

Opening with the slinking gallop of 'Enough For Now', Vee's sweet, breathless vocals are as playful as they are wistful. There's a dreamy introspective quality to tracks like 'Borrowing From Thieves' that make the whole release feel like it was recorded one early, reflective morning as the sun is rising.

It's a truly beautiful EP and repeated listens reveal lyrical gems that sparkle like droplets of water in the sunlight. Here's to the ongoing evolution of Amy Vee.
- Reverb Street Press

"Angelic. Sensitive. Ethereal. Insightful. Poetic. Five words that could best describe "quintessence", the latest release from Australia's Amy Vee & The Virtues. Opening the 5-track EP is a friendly pop-rock tune, Where You Are, drawing listeners effortlessly into the beautiful vocals of lead singer and acoustic/rhythm guitarist Amy Vee.... One rarely hears such natural talent... "quintessence" is modern, chick-influenced rock with a melodic, indie twist with songs so radio-friendly they will appeal to the masses outside of Australia. The broken-hearted will feel a healing touch and those who appreciate a true talent will toast in admiration to Amy Vee." - Kristy Singer, American music journalist

There’s a flowering blossom in which some voices can carry a song. Some voices nurture a melody, utilises instrumentation like a hammock to an overall piece of music to accompany it. Some voices are simply dripping sweetness. Amy Vee’s
voice I think is somehow neither of those, but at the same time uses elements
that compliment this new folk turn in her musical career. There will be the obvious Angus & Julia Stone comparison here, but a distinctive drifting dark romanticism hovers in both of these tracks off her debut solo effort Sleeping Dogs Lie.

- The Band Next Door - Band Next Door

"What is it about the Newcastle original music scene and that city's penchant for producing great Australian original bands. The Screaming Jets, Silverchair and now Amy Vee & the Virtues. Much like Adelaide in the 70's & early 80's Newcastle has become a melting pot for great australian original music.

The first thing that struck me about the 'Quintessence' (EP) was how well produced it is. I mean there is not a single note out of place here, everything just fits together perfectly like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, right down to the last breath and yet, appears like it just happened that way, naturally.

One of the aspects that has always drawn me inexorably to music is it's intrinsically transient nature and it's ability to move me emotionally and spiritually, reaching beyond. Amy Vee's more than capable vocals and rock solid acoustic rhythm guitar work, weave their way seemingly effortlessly through each song. It was not so much her great voice that impressed me because after all there are many great vocalists out there. More so it is her unique ability to interpret each song so it comes to life right before your eyes taking on a meaning and personality all of it's own. Couple that with the "kick arse" rhythm section of the Virtues (those guys are tight, I mean real tight) and Gary Arnolds creative, quirky lead guitar style - as they say in the classics "your cooking with gas".

If I were asked to pick a favorite song on Quintessence ... I would be pushed to say this one or that because they are all works of art on their own merits. This album reeks of professionalism and meticulous attention to detail in every way, no stone was left unturned to bring out the best each song had to offer.

OK , you got me the song that most appealed to me was Track 2 "One Hand" a reflective, slow moody song about a relationship on the ropes. Amy delivers it with real honesty and objectivity. Her vocals soar from chest voice to falsetto with such controlled energy and ease it's almost her trademark. Once again the Virtues were with her all the way.

Amy Vee & the Virtues should be proud of their latest offering "Quintessence" as I'm sure they are. They have produced a truly magical album definately worth having on your must play list. Put Amy Vee & the Virtues and their Quintessence (EP) under the category of great Australian original bands."

- Paul Brennan- Australian Musicians Media - www.ozsongs.com

More press/reviews available at www.amyvee.com
- Australian Musicians Media