Rae Isla & Fox Palmer at The Drawing Room
I'm still reeling from an unforgettable evening in Chesham, England, with an LA-based singer-songwriter I've been listening to since last spring. And new to me, Fox Palmer, a London-based artist.
Rae Isla was my first show of 2026. I started listening to and writing about Rae last spring, and I didn’t expect her to visit the UK so soon. There’s just something about her that comes from her commitment to the lyric, to the spoken and written word just as much as the sung word, and her authenticity which shines out. She is the true OG Traveling Bard.
Unusually (even in 2026) this event was live-streamed so you can watch the whole thing for free below. I don’t therefore need to run through the set list, although be reassured. It included Stones and Years Beers Her Tears, Traveling On and plenty of unreleased new songs too. Downpour is a song about Seattle’s rain, surely the Manchester of America, and she might have commented on our grey, damp offering last night.
Born and raised in Washington State, Rae Isla now lives in Laurel Canyon, California. She is inspired by Joni Mitchell and Carole King, and loves the history and lore around music in the widest sense. I’m a Laurel Canyon fan too, of course, and once spent a weekend in a house on Kirkwood Drive overlooking the Canyon Country Store. It was where Mick Fleetwood decided to invite Lindsey Buckingham to join Fleetwood Mac, and has been a hub of Canyon life since its 1970s songwriters’ zenith. What I did not know is that the café there is still run by Lilly, who has regaled Rae with stories from the days when Joni and others were regulars.
Rae did a genuinely impromptu encore rendition of her highly personal The Gardener, and I’m sure a few others had a tear in their eye after that one. The natural world is a theme that runs through her songs, including her rock collection, curated since childhood, and occasional references to incessant rain.
It was a privilege to watch Rae sing Years Beers Her Tears right in front of me (see my socials for the proof) as that was the first song of hers that I heard and it remains a very powerful song. I love the new stuff and look forward to more. She dropped a few top-secret hints about future plans and I expect she will be back in the UK next year, fingers crossed.
Rae is active on social media, especially TikTok and Instagram, and you can sign up to receive her UK tour diary here. You can buy her music on Bandcamp or stream in all the usual places. A new album will be with you shortly.
Rae Isla, Traveling Bard
Years Beers Her Tears was the first time I ran into Rae Isla. It was at least two months ago but it feels like I have known her my whole life. It was a tip from Ali Angel that sent me to Rae and I will be forever grateful. I have seen reels of them jamming and rehearsing together and I dearly hope they do a duet or similar soon.
Fox Palmer
Fox has played several times at the Drawing Room and seemed at home. I saw a couple of fans wearing her merch. Fans will be reassured that she sang Forever, Tired and That Way as well as some unexpected covers of 1990s dance hits Freed From Desire and Rhythm Is A Dancer. In her own words, she is “known for a sound that blends rock, indie, and Americana-style folk.”
I really enjoyed her opening set. Fox is a proper guitarist with a haunting, atmospheric voice and I will try to catch one of her band shows this year. She is based in London and plays live all over the country. Her next London show is at Folklore in Hoxton on 29 March.
You can find out more about Fox Palmer’s tour dates on Instagram and listen on Bandcamp.
The Drawing Room, Chesham
This is no ordinary venue. I got some B-roll shots you can see below which somehow, in my own mind, sum up the experience. When Rae Isla requested stories to use in her UK tour diary, she could not have expected the one offered up. Chesham has been famous for hat-making in the past. So far, so normal. But the building in which we stood was once owned by a man called Roger Crab, a hat-maker who is said to have inspired the character of the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. I kid you not!
This is a cash-friendly place, and it became the only bar in which the owner (Richard) wrote me an IOU for a Guinness Zero on a yellow Post-It note. The venue really was a paid actor last night, complete with Tibetan singing bowls, making some brilliant live music even more memorable. I spoke to someone who had driven an hour from Northampton to see Fox Palmer, and I understand why. It’s one of those situations where words cannot do the place justice. Do try to go if you’re ever in the area.
