This is the 27th entry in the Mayhem Virgins series which has been running since 2018. Here is where we showcase artists that have never featured in these pages before. This time it is the turn of Cornish singer songwriter and in her own words a “One-woman riot-grrrl band” Nell Davies. The first time I came across Nell was via a post on her Instagram page about her being “A DIY artist with no money living in the middle of nowhere in West Cornwall. I Can’t compete with the nepo babies and I wouldn’t touch AI with somebody else’s bargepole. So I thought, fuck it! I’ll film a video all by myself in a derelict barn for a budget of zero“. The video was for her rather classy single “Never Ever Ever” released last November. Apparently Nell found £91 worth of scrap metal when she cleared the barn out and suggested that this video might be the only one ever to have a negative spend budget!
Her songs are full of humour, anger and are impeccable observations of 21st century life. Nell’s music has been described as classy indie pop, but I think it is so much more than that. It is indeed very classy and her songs exude everything that is right about great pop music. The hooks in her songs aren’t there just for show. They hook into your temporal lobe, your cerebellum, and your amygdala/hippocampus and stay there long after the song has ended. Nell has the spirit and attitude of punk oozing from her musical pores. Her new single “Out Of This World” encapsulates her rising talent perfectly and it is one of the six songs included on her EP ‘The End Of The World Or Whatever’. I have just ordered a copy on CD, get yours here via her Bandcamp page. I love discovering great new music and I am so glad I chanced upon the music of Nell Davies. She is gathering a lot of press and radio attention and has supported some iconic artists including Evan Dando and Wendy James. Get on board the Nell Davies music train now, you will not be disappointed!
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog. You can also follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and Linkedin.
Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch via EMail.
With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 