(Thanks to the Guardian)
Nhsontherun havent been to Shepherds Bush O2 since Amy Winehouse played here in May 2007.
The venue has hosted some great musical nights. A venue steeped in musical history retaining its small venue charm, yet cut through with an old music hall theatre feel so old fashioned it could easily host, were it still legal, The Black and White Minstrel show rather than Lady Blackbird!
Tonight we've sloped off work early to catch Lady Blackbird in what appears to be, other than Radio 2's live lounge, one of her only gigs this year in the UK.
I fully expected the crowd to be an eclectic mix of Black Lives Matter activists, the boho set, and drag queens tottering on six inch heels. That was not who turned up. My guess, in retrospect is that everyone there (like us) heard Lady Blackbird for the first time on Graham Norton, and for the second time on Radio 2's live lounge, and this was their third helping. Uniformly grey and portly, like the crowd at a middle England Jazz festival. Despite being grey and portly myself, I found this deeply depressing!
But first, we were blown away by support act, Naomi Kimpenu. She walked on sheepishly and unannounced.
Arriving with a shy smile, belying hidden depths and hinting at great things to come. She played a clever short set, alone at her red piano synth. She told us we were great, we weren't, but she made up for it.
A slightly nervous start from a goddess who perhaps doesn't recognise yet her own potential.
Powerful vocal honey with cream and apricot notes, we witnessed her original music and words. A haunting lyrical, rather over-bassey solo performance at her piano. Sound engineers, and not her fault.
Demure and reserved I found it hard to imagine how this product of the brash east end of London could arrive on stage completely devoid of the arrogance she clearly deserves to have.
The songs from her EP (Prelude)chronicle a story of growing up in the East End and her transition to adulthood. Naiave raw and beautiful she is an emerging talent deserving of her Ivor rising Star award. I hope Sony who have signed her recently, do pull out all the stops to launch her overtly self effacing star into orbit.
Chaka, Amy, Paloma, Lana, and Alicia may soon be joined by another artist so identifiable that she too could simply be known by the one name, Naomi.
Too long between sets gave nhsontherun enough time to read thoroughly about Lady Blackbird. By the time she hit the stage we were familiar with the published back story. Long time session vocalist, she's a resident of LA. Born Marley Munroe from a small town in New Mexico, she adopted her stage name after recording the activist Nina Simone number Blackbird. Her stock phrase appears to be "it just seemed so perfect", and it became her name. Fittingly released a few days after George Floyd was brutally beaten to death, it seems unlikely that Lady Blackbird was intentionally providing a soulful activist anthem to backdrop that event. But nonetheless she did. As a woman of colour she will naturally have a platform for sending a strong message, and along side her vocal hero's Nina and Billie Holiday I have no doubt she will do exactly that.
Heralded as th Grace Jones of Jazz, but with music that starts in church, with a strong gospel vibe, travels through jazz, descends into glam rock, and lifts to soul and funk, she's going to be hard to define. The Shepherds Bush Empire crowd had her down as a Jazz musician. She's got a lot more to her than that, and along with her producer Chris Seefried she seems destined to be star.
She has unique style and refreshing body confidence. Impossible to define, think dominatrix chic meets Grace Jones and Gary Glitters love child?
Her powerful voice was used percussively in the first track and rose through the set to her powerful conclusion.
She may have had a drink or two. A large whisky accompanied her on to the stage. Not judging, I thought it was the perfect prop for her smoky set. Along with her extremely accomplished musicians she gave the very authentic impression of being in a jazz club. We felt we were witnessing the start of something great. We hope she'll be discovered by a cooler crowd, that she'll be promoted with the enthusiasm befitting her unique talent, and that she fulfils her tremendous potential.
Loved this gig!
Comments