Late 2023 saw Canadian singer-songwriter and producer Kat Bryan embark on a series of live dates in the UK, hitting the stage at eight venues over the course of two weeks, appearing with labelmates Vieon on all six dates of their Inter-City tour and performing two standalone gigs.

A treasured moment for Kat was playing her label’s home town of Todmorden – at the town’s iconic Golden Lion venue – on the 17th of September that year.

As a memento of the experience, Kat is releasing a seven-song live EP featuring tracks from her Music for the End of the World album and the Luna EP, all recorded live at The Golden Lion.

Both the EP and the tour saw Kat bringing together her acoustic singer-songwriter, folk-based performance background and her more recent successful progression into electronic music production into a live setting, effortlessly showing that music from the heart and soul can find themselves perfectly at ease in an electronic arrangement – and in front of live audiences for the first time as well!

Says Kat about the tour, “I was really excited and honored when AnalogueTrash invited me to tour the UK early in 2023. I’ve been lucky enough to visit London in 2018 on vacation, but this would be my first experience with Northern England. A Scotland date was also added, which was a huge thrill for me, as my grandfather was born in Glasgow, and it felt strangely like coming home.”

She adds, “This was my first ever tour, and I’m still a little amazed at my luck to have my first go be in the UK. I’m so grateful for the support and encouragement I’ve received from AnalogueTrash and the family Mark and Ady have built. None of this would have happened without them. I was also approved for a grant through Music BC, and I sincerely want to thank them, Creative BC and the Province of BC for their support.”

As well as marking the tour, this selection of tracks really showcases the changes in perspective and song-writing approach from Kat’s 2022 album to her 2023 EP. It also forms a diary of sorts of the last few years of her life, as the pandemic and other life events catalysed a personal and creative rebirth:

“I built the live set performed here as a compilation of some of my favourite tracks from my full-length album, Music for the End of the World, as well as my recently released EP, Luna. The songs have a bit of a sonic arc that matches my personal journey, from angst and fear at the state of the world as well as my own struggles, to a place of healing and brightness.

“I closed the set with the single from Luna, Armour, for a couple of reasons. One, it is a banger of a song with big vocals and bass that was a challenge to tame throughout the tour. Two, it has a really strong message of growth and strength and I liked leaving the stage on a positive note. It felt good to sing at full tilt, and really dig through all of my dark places to find the light.”

The gig at The Golden Lion was a special moment for Kat: “The Golden Lion was a real highlight for many reasons, its illustrious history being central,” she reveals. “Some unbelievable artists have played here, and some have been known to just drop by, so it was a real honour to add my name to the lengthy list of acts that have graced its halls.”

“The venue itself is friendly and inviting, with a great vibe. The sound tech was amazing and worked really hard to make sure we all sounded incredible, and the pre-show vegan curry was so delicious, I still dream about it. I fell for Todmorden a little bit that night, even if I’m likely to be run out of town for mispronouncing the name!

“I also really enjoyed performing Brave, which has a stripped down back third, where the focus is really on the vocals and my ability to deliver. I felt the greatest connection with the audience while singing those lines, even when I got really absorbed into the words and temporarily forgot where I was. When I opened my eyes, I knew they were there with me.

“Performing Centre of the Earth live was also a lot of fun, as I utilized visuals taken from the full-length video filmed and directed by Vancouver filmmaker Diandra Lee Woon-a-Tai. I could see a lot of faces in the audience taking in the message, nodding along to the visuals, and feeling the dire state of the climate crisis with me.

“Singing these tracks live was a great experience. As a self-produced artist, I am used to being able to hammer a song in my home studio until it’s perfect, or as close as my current skill set will allow. In a live setting, it is what it is. You have one take; you have one chance and you either nail it or you don’t.

“The stress of a tightly packed tour schedule added another level of challenge, but as the dates went on, I was able to release the idea of perfection, and strive for raw emotion instead. I’m happy with the performance here, imperfections and all. It is documentation of a moment in time that I wouldn’t trade for anything.”

Though she played with a number of acts over the eight dates, including labelmates Spray and Flange Circus, the gig at The Golden Lion maintains a special place in her heart. “I was really honored to share the stage with Vieon and Debris Discs, incredibly talented acts in their own right. The men of Vieon became family over those few weeks, which was a beautiful side effect of driving all over England, sharing our music.”