Laura Marling: Closet Romantic

Blame it on the exuberance of youth, but Laura Marling's gig at London's Soho Revue Bar earlier this month effortlessly distinguished the beguiling folk singer from the egomaniacs of London's indie scene. The 17-year-old Reading-born devotee of American folk rock was faced with an embarrassing last-minute cancellation because of her age, but determined not to disappoint, there was no diva-esque tantrum. She played an assured set in the street to a mesmerised crowd huddled outside two sex shops. It's not the first time the “Berkshire Joni Mitchell” has surprised her fans.

Gigwise meets Marling in a Hammersmith cafe to chat about her latest EP ‘My Manic & I’, and finding her feet in an industry intent on making her the latest UK female artist with a penchant for acerbic songs about boys. Dressed in a vintage red Mickey Mouse jumper and black overcoat, she peers beyond her blonde fringe to tell Gigwise of her Soho Revue gig: "We'd been somewhere really far north the night before and we were fucking tired. At eight o'clock my manager came into my dressing room and said you don't have any ID, you can't play. I burst into tears and then my band came in, we decided to play outside. It's unbelievable what rage can do."

Marling, who's been balancing a recent solo tour with The Maccabees with commitments to folk rock quintet Noah and The Whale, has built steady acclaim since releasing her debut EP 'London Town' in April. Not that she’d know; she claims to have no idea what’s said about her, cocooned in a tiny London flat full of dusty books: “I don’t have a TV or radio and I never buy newspapers because I’m too lazy,” she explains. “And I don’t read any music magazines, apart from Uncut.” Gigwise predicts Marling won’t stay in the dark for much longer.

Marling grew up in Reading but now lives in London. Citing Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell as among her first influences, “Every reason people start writing music is Joni and Dylan” she quips, she began gigging at 16 for Way Out West, before finding her own gigs with likeminded artists. She says her only musical background comes from her guitar-playing dad, and lists ‘Heartbreaker’ era Ryan Adams, Bonnie Prince Billy, Diana Cluck and Jeffrey Lewis among her current influences. “They just give me a reason to live,” she says with an earnestness she only matches on record.

Now signed to Virgin, her two EPs showcase a precocious talent wrapping aching lyrical honesty in three-minute brooding folk rock awash with stark violins, pianos and Marling’s trademark agile vocals. First-time listeners of the lovelorn ‘Night Terror’ and lilting balladry of ‘My Manic & I’s lead song ‘New Romantic’ may sense a familiarity with her work; the songstress made a guest appearance on The Rakes’ 'Suspicious Eyes' from ‘Ten New Messages’ earlier this year. The song, a paranoid post 7/7 tale of prejudice among underground commuters, features Marling deceptively cooing, “A young Asian guy with a rucksack on his back jumps on The Tube/ is he ready to attack.” It's a highlight from one of the year’s best albums, and came about after Rakes singer Alan Donohoe got in touch.