Live at The Louisiana: Skydaddy + Bert Ussher + Tyler Cryde (28th January 2025)

Rhiannon Phillips
Jan 29
3 min read

There's something about The Louisiana that always feels warm the second you walk in, even in the dead of January. The low ceiling, the soft glow of the lights, the way the sound wraps around you instead of bouncing off... it's intimate in the purest sense. And for a night built around delicate songwriting, lush arrangements, and quiet emotional weight, it couldn't have been a better fit.

Three acts, each adding a whole new layer. Soft and stripped back. Folky and warm. Then something big, cinematic, and beautifully expressive.

🎤 The Setup

Shooting at The Louisiana is always a bit of a dance, but on this particular night it was an easy one. The lighting was gorgeous. Cool purples, soft blues, warm highlights... The kind of colours that instantly make the room feel freamy before anyone even touches an instrument. And for once, the space didn't feel too tight. Just enough room to move, duck, twist, and get the angles without elbowing anyone in the ribs.

I shot the whole night on my Canon R5 with the 50mm f/1.8 - a great fit for The Louisiana's cosy stage and low, atmospheric lighting. It handled the room beautifully, as always.

🌙 Tyler Cryde

Opening the night was Tyler Cryde: soft, stripped-back, and absolutely drenched in vulnerability. Switching between guitar and keys, she performed with this quiet, tender focus that instantly stilled the room. Everything about her set felt intimate - her voice, the space she left between chords, the way she seemed to fold into the songs rather than stand above them.

Photographing her was a dream. The purple washing over her face, the little shadows catching her expression mid-lyric... It all matched the emotional hush she'd brought to the room. A beautifully delicate opener.

Tyler Cryde performs onstage at The Louisiana, singing into a microphone while playing an acoustic guitar. She stands under soft purple and pink lighting, with her long hair falling over her shoulders and a rainbow guitar strap visible. A keyboard and drums are blurred in the background, giving the scene a warm, intimate feel. — *Tyler Cryde opening the night with a soft, intimate set bathed in warm purple light.*

🍃 Bert Ussher

Next up was Bert Ussher, drifting in with folky indie-pop that felt warm and familiar the moment he started playing. His songwriting has that gentle ease to it. It's catchy without trying, and sweet without tipping over into saccharine. The room immediately settled into his set, as if it had been waiting for it.

The lighting dipped into cooler blues and golds here, and honestly, it suited him perfectly. He looked completely absorbed in his own little world, and that's what I tried to capture in my shots. Focus, expression, tiny smiles... The quiet moments that musicians don't even realise they're giving away.

A lovely midpoint to the night. Still intimate, but with a bit more lift.

Bert Ussher easing the room into his folky indie set under soft blue-purple lights.

🌌 Skydaddy

And then came Skydaddy - and the whole room shifted gears.

Rachid Fakhre has this incredibly grounded onstage, the kind of energy that doesn't demand attention so much as pulls it in. Backed by his full band (keys, flute, clarinet, bass, drums, guitar) the sound became layered and textured. Almost cinematic. Folk, chamber pop, jazz, psych... Somehow it all made sense in one breath.

The lighting during his set was unreal. Soft purples melting into blues, warm sidelights hitting the flute, shadows falling in all the right places. It elevated the entire thing, and I tried hard to catch that lushness.

Certain moments felt huge. There were big crescendos with swelling harmonies, the whole band building together. But others were fragile and quiet, like the room collectively leaned in. It was a set that moved, breathed, gew. Emotional without being dramatic. Intimate without being small.

One of those performances where you forget you're shooting for a second because the music just hits in that very specific, very human way.

Skydaddy performs onstage at The Louisiana, singing passionately into a microphone while playing a light blue electric guitar. He wears a textured grey suit over a white T-shirt, leaning into the mic with his eyes closed as purple and blue stage lights illuminate him from behind. The expression on his face conveys intensity and emotion in the middle of the performance. — *Skydaddy pouring everything into a soaring moment mid-set at The Louisiana.*

✨ Final Thoughts

This was The Louisiana at its best: warm, close, and full of music that asks you to actually listen.

Tyler Cryde brought the softness.

Bert Ussher added gentle charm.

And Skydaddy delivered something expansive and heartfelt, the kind of set that leaves the room a little quieter afterwards.

Nights like this are why I love shooting these smaller venues. The light, the closeness, the way the music wraps around people. It's magic.

More shows coming soon. Stay tuned ✌️