Wasia Project
Stylus
Leeds University Union, Lifton Place, Leeds, LS2 9JT, Great Britain
England
53.807958
-1.553329
Description
“Brother-sister duo Olivia Hardy and Will Gao write the kind of music that speaks to their
generations' hard-felt malaise, cut through with a catchy, woozy indie-pop sensibility.” - i-D
“achingly poignant love songs” - British Vogue
‘An outstanding slice of modern-jazz pop’ - Rolling Stone UK
“Defying genre, their oeuvre meanders between lo-fi bedroom pop, unfurling jazz, and
classic-tinged tracks.” - Wonderland
“one of the UK’s most distinctive new acts…Their music blends elements of jazz, classical
and joyful pop into surprising shapes that feel fresh and familiar at the same time.” - NME
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Wasia Project, the musical duo formed by siblings Will Gao and Olivia Hardy, today release their highly anticipated EP via AWAL Recordings: a triumphant sonic journey establishing a brand new chapter for the duo. As a project predicated on the unique creative chemistry between siblings, it feels apt that Will and Olivia’s second EP is named Isotope. Two distinct branches of the same tree, asWasia Project they’ve spent the last five years applying their classical training to wide-eyed jazz-pop, racking up tens of millions of streams, and recently touring the US supporting Laufey and a European arena tour with Tom Odell. Now they’re expanding their horizons even further, pairing their genre-bending pop with an impressive audio-visual concept, showcased in a beautifully cinematic and evocative 20 minute short film, also released today.
‘Isotope’ follows the release of the stunning baroque-pop first single ‘Is This What Love Is?’ and the tender and existential ballad ‘Takes Me Back Home’. Throughout the EP, the familiar warmth of nostalgia dovetails with the discomfort of the unknown, as the duo process experiences of love, anxiety, confusion and hope through a singular voice. “Why did I have to meet you / I was happy where I was,” Olivia rues on ‘Somebody Come Through’ over staccato bass and a frenetic Motorik rhythm. Sonically, the song picks up where last year’s standalone single ‘Petals
On The Moon’ left off, using soaring indie-pop as a foil for Olivia’s supple vocal. Elsewhere, ‘To Get Better’ sees Will lending his soothing tones to a tale of self-doubt that features devastating confessions like, "How horrible it feels to be panicking / And, oh, how unsolvable to feel like I’m out of control." A gorgeous slow-burn, it climaxes in a sonorous solo from guitarist Michael Jablonka.
Isotope was demoed last September, and recorded at London’s prestigious RAK Studios in January 2024 with producer and regular collaborator St. Francis Hotel (Michael Kiwanuka, Little Simz). As classical music scholars, they were keen to exploit the possibilities of the studio, arranging strings to bring their cinematic vision to life. The results are showcased on instrumental EP-closer ‘Tell Me Lies’, a deeply romantic epic embellishing Will’s Rachmaninoff-inspired piano theme with symphonic strings. ‘Isotope (interlude)’ is similarly atmospheric, combining ticking beats
and subaqueous synth sounds with woozy, pitch-shifted vocals. Rather than providing standalone videos for the songs, the duo have created a short film, divided into chapters, in collaboration with Creative Director Charlie Drinkwater (Lianne LaHavas, Dermot Kennedy, Fontaines DC) and director Charles Gall (English Teacher, Last Dinner
Party, Nothing But Thieves). Working with visual reference points including Wong Kar-Wei, Paris Texas and the photography of Daidō Moriyama, the film sees Olivia and Will cast as a single character, and tracks their struggle to navigate a series of labyrinthine scenarios.
Formed in 2019, Wasia Project’s mixed British-Asian heritage and classical training haveinspired them to have a global approach to pop, which dynamically melds styles and influences that cut across genre lines — and even entire hemispheres of musical tradition. In their songs they combine classical intellect with spiky disco and freewheeling jazz, in a merging that’s underpinned by the duo’s deep knowledge of distinct musical styles. The resonance of Olivia’s vocals are comparable to Rickie Lee Jones and Joni Mitchell in richness and maturity, and the band’s melodic complexity and achingly heartfelt lyricism channels the spirit of artists like Mitski, Weyes Blood, and Billie Eilish, who they cite as influences on their sound. Will is also known for his role as Tao Xu in Netflix LGBTQI+ smash hit drama series Heartstopper, and the band’s breakout hit ‘ur so pretty’, a yearningly romantic piano-led ballad which melded the duo’s jazz and pop sensibilities to sublime effect, was featured in the pivotal final scene of the second series season finale, which aired early August 2023.
Wasia Project are hotly tipped in the press and radio landscapes, with highlights including an NME cover and print features in British Vogue, Hunger, Rolling Stone UK, Notion, DIY, Dork, Boys By Girls and more. They were Amazon Music and British GQ’s Ones To Watch for 2024 and have over 100+ radio plays across Radio 1 and Radio 2, including Jo Whiley’s Record of the Week.
Venue Info
Bringing everyone together through legendary nights in Leeds since 1967: it’s what we do.
Leeds Union Events is your official box office for gigs, club nights and festivals happening in the middle of campus at Leeds University Union.
Our stages have hosted some of the most unforgettable bands and singers across the decades, including Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley, The Clash, The Killers and Queens of the Stone Age. We continue to bring legendary nights to Leeds with the latest artists, and up-and-coming performers.
Our venues continue to be award-winning. We’ve got 100% in Best Bar None and the Refectory is marked with a blue plaque as a legendary gig venue. Not bad for a not-for-profit where all the money we make goes straight back into making sure our students love their time at Leeds!
Whether you’re a student, live in Leeds or further away, you’re welcome to join us in coming together over our love of great music and unforgettable experiences.
Access Information
The Union building – although challenging, is accessible with lift access across all floors of the venue and accessible gender-neutral WC’s available in each venue.
The Union building is set-out on six levels but there is either ramped or lift access to every level with the distance from the main entrance to the furthest part of the venues approximately 200 metres.
We have drop-down bars in all of our venues.
Getting Here
Parking:
Parking is very limited close to the Union building and is on-street only, however, provision is available close to the Union entrance – between 10 and 40 metres, for up to six blue-badge holders.
Please note – additional Blue Badge parking is available on Campus – around 500 metres away, within the Leeds University Multi-storey car park should the spaces by the Union be unavailable. Additional spaces are also provided off-Campus at the Woodhouse Lane Multi-storey. All parking options are listed here.
Other Transport:
Walking: The University campus is approximately one mile from Leeds city station. Download the University walking and cycling map of the surrounding area.
By train, bike or bus: Leeds station connects us with all major UK cities and has a fast and efficient London service. For train information and timetables visit the National Rail Enquiries website. There are a number of excellent bus services in Leeds. Visit the West Yorkshire Metro website and First Leeds for timetables and general information. There is also a city bus which stops at the bus and train stations and the southern end of campus (near the back of Leeds General Infirmary A&E) every 10 minutes from 06:30 – 19:30 Monday to Saturday.
Visit the National Express website for details.
Customers With Medical Needs:
We welcome attendees who need to bring medicines, food or drink to manage medical conditions, or medical equipment. Please contact our access team if you have any concerns.
Assistance Dogs: We are proactive on the use of assistance dogs and can provide water and other facilities should you require them.
Strobe Lighting: The venues do include strobe lighting and other ‘flash-based’ effects as standard. In addition, as many of our events include aspects of ‘toured production’ – which are outside of the venue’s control, we urge you to contact us for more information on an event-specific basis at the earliest opportunity.
Toilets:
We have an access toilet on almost every floor of the building.
All of our toilets are accessible by lifts, which means whichever venue you’re in, you’re never far from your nearest accessible toilet.
Baby Changing Facilities: Our accessible toilets are equipped with baby changing facilities. We also have a dedicated changing place.
Booking Access Facilities:
Please email us at access@leedsunionevents.com to arrange booking any access facilities.
Accessible Ticketing: Every accessible customer is entitled to one free companion ticket with their purchased ticket. Please email us at access@leedsunionevents.com to arrange.
Accessible Viewing Platform: All of our venues have a designated accessible viewing area.
Please note: there is limited space in this area, and it is reserved on a first come, first served basis.
Wheelchairs: We have space for 4 wheelchairs per event in our venues. Please note: there is limited space in this area, and it is reserved on a first come, first served basis. Please email us at access@leedsunionevents.com to arrange a space.
Priority Entry: This will allow you access 15 minutes early entry prior to doors, so you can find a suitable position that is comfortable for you. We also provide this for all seated and wheelchair spaces.
Seated Spaces: We can provide seated spaces for anyone who needs them. These are booked on a first come, first-serve basis so sometimes they are not always available. Please let us know in good time if you require a seated space and we will confirm this with you. Please note that any companions will not automatically be provided a seated ticket, as these are of limited availability, we always reserve these for those with accessibility needs. Companions are however welcome to stand in the seated area.
Times
Start:
2024-11-10T19:00:00+00:00
End:
2024-11-10T23:00:00+00:00
Category
Music
Tickets
General Admission
18.0
GBP
236