Katie Skilling

Rehearsing new songs to a live audience is daunting at the best of times, but upstairs at Tommy Flynn's Katie Skilling is about to walk that tightrope to a modest crowd clearly bored by the two lackluster opening acts. Lithe, confident, and with eyes akin to an Egyptian cat, she saunters onto the stage immediately commanding more attention with one subtle flick of her wrist, than the rest of tonight's acts put together. Beating a red tambourine against a graspable waist, her voice flows between the acoustic guitar and piano that bookend her on the stage, captivating the room with an underlying sense of discovery. She doesn't just sound better than everyone else, she looks better too.