Odie Leigh gets real at Bar Le Ritz PDB

This last Wednesday, November 6th, at the cozy Bar le Ritz, I had the opportunity to see the indie singer-songwriter, Odie Leigh. The folk singer was here to tour her new album Carrier Pigeon, though you may know her through Tiktok for her song “Crop Circles”. I was introduced to Odie Leigh during a time in my life where I was doing some serious soul-searching. I feel this encapsulates how her songwriting impacts her listeners. Her song “As Sure As I’m Speaking Now” particularly resonates with me. 

Bar Le Ritz PDB was the perfect venue for a show like this. The cozy wooden bar made it an intimate space for us all to focus on the music. Odie Leigh introduced this engaging performance by asking the audience to scream out their names, the back was quieter, so she asked again & we all passionately screamed our names again. This separated her from other folk singers I’ve seen live as she treats the audience like people, not just fans or numbers at a show. The passion in Odie Leigh’s voice when she was singing “Either/Way” was cathartic. She then made us sing for her the last chorus while she and her bassist vehemently played their instruments.

Odie Leigh has a way with words that is refreshing for this new revival of folk music in the mainstream. Her vulnerability in her lyrics engages her fans & creates a close bond between those who listen to her music. She has the same effect live. As we know, Donald Trump was declared the new president-elect on November 6th. Odie Leigh shared with us how much she loves Canada and how weird it is to be away from the US in a time like this. The audience went quiet out of respect for her and her bandmates who were discussing their mixed feelings about performing on that day. I felt this was a beautiful moment that made me feel connected to her music even more. 

She continued on by playing her song “A month or two” sharing anecdotes about the man she wrote this song about. She was making many jokes throughout the set that pleased the audience & me. Specifically, when her guitar amp was turned off and her bassist stepped in to help, she laughed and made us give her a round of applause. She finished off her set with her song “Take Back”, withstanding the same timbre and fierceness that she begins with. As I looked around, I saw members of the crowd with tears of joy, some of awe & some I saw crying as certain lyrics hit them. I believe this captures the wide variety of feelings an Odie Leigh show evokes in her audience.

Taina is the co-host of Whatever She Wants, on air Wednesdays 12pm - 1pm