Songs for the Spring Equinox | Florence Rose,Qazi & Qazi, eternally yours, and Mads Jensen | Review

The Spring Equinox is a time for rebirth and a return to warmth, celebrated across the northern hemisphere as the sun crosses the celestial equator. Falling in late March, the equinox is traditionally marked by rituals such as planting seeds, cleansing the home, and visualising goals for the coming months. This year, as winter began to thaw in the heart of East London, it was also marked by Songs for the Spring Equinox: an uplifting night of folk and acoustic music arranged by dream-pop singer Florence Rose at The George Tavern.

As we gathered around the small stage, adorned with paper birds, dried flowers, and flickering candles, Utah-born singer Mads Jensen opened the evening with a charmingly tender set. Her arrangements captured that hazy, almost delirious, warmth of spring after a long winter as electric guitars blended seamlessly with flute and violin. Influenced by religious texts and familial ties, “Drunk in the Desert” and “Pia” – a heartfelt ode to her grandmother – were particularly poignant, as Jensen’s soft, husky voice floated across the dimly-lit room.

With the crowd continuing to grow, duos eternally yours and Qazi & Qazi delivered two performances filled with angelic harmonies and gentle acoustic instrumentals. Bella and Oriana of eternally yours had a deeply captivating stage presence, offering a stunning cover of folk luminary Lucinda Williams’ “Ventura”. Its lyrics – “I wanna watch the ocean bend the edges of the sun / Then I wanna get swallowed up in an ocean of love” – felt especially fitting for the night, welcoming a renewed connection with nature, and were sung with an ethereal sweetness that evoked the hopeful birdsongs of Spring.

Following suit, Qazi & Qazi, comprised of sisters Naadirah and Rukaiyah, describe their relationship as one of “blood-bonded harmony”, which couldn’t be truer as their voices merged with the most intuitive ease onstage. There was a precious intimacy to their performance, further elevating the sincerity of songs like “Forward”; this was a perfect ending to their set, with thoughtful lyrics like “you are a rose growing from a bed of coal” leaving us with a rousing message of resilience and revival in accordance with the new season.

Concluding the night, Florence Rose was joined onstage only by an acoustic guitar and violin for her mesmerising set. “I Am Your Daughter”, Rose’s debut single, was stripped of its usual alt-pop sound and subverted into a delicate folk arrangement complementing her airy vocals. The unreleased “Spring Song” was sung like a precious incantation for the season while also giving us a glimpse of what Rose’s next season as an artist could look like, ushering in a softer folk sound. Between songs, Rose, having organised the evening herself, surveyed the packed room with pride and reflected on how special it was to share the stage with her friends. From the handmade decorations to the handpicked lineup, it was a beautiful night curated with care, and a heartening celebration of Spring as it starts to bloom.