Music / Pop
Review: Lianne La Havas, O2 Academy
It’s easy to presume you know what an artist will bring to the stage when you’ve seen them live a few times on TV. I knew she’d fingerpick each guitar effortlessly and I knew she’d look ridiculously elegant while doing it. I knew it would be a good show but it was so much more than that.
The set was put together with an understanding of the audience. Tracks from the first and second album being played pretty much back to back for the first hour, ensuring an engaged crowd throughout.
There are very few artists that can bring a practically full O2 to complete silence. The mellower songs revealed the audiences unwavering attention. When she stood mid-set with only an acoustic guitar for company and sang No Room For Doubt not one person made a sound.
is needed now More than ever
It’s easy to differentiate between the albums, especially when seen live. Blood (her second) is more experimental vocally as well as structurally. The songs have a fierceness that were glimpsed in Is Your Love Big Enough but not fully realised. I hadn’t decided if I thought these new ones were too poppy or far out, but after seeing them live I’ve listened to Blood twice already.
In the ninety minutes she was on stage there was not one bum note or misjudged breath from her or her multi-talented band. All of which, bar the drummer, backed her with close harmonies throughout to perfection. There is something brilliant about seeing a bearded man with a bass singing sweet tones.
Her encore showed her diversity as an artist. Returning to the stage with ballad, Gone (after which someone in front of the stage summed up how we were all feeling by shouting “marry me!”) she finished with calling card Forget. And how easy it is to forget that behind the sweet melodies and inspired chord changes, Lianne La Havas is a freaking rock star.
She wasn’t the most chatty of performers but every time she did stop to speak her voice was warm and welcoming and brilliantly London-toned. As she announced to us with the cheekiest of grins that she’d just been nominated for a Grammy she laughed and with her arms open exclaiming “what is life?!” and we all fell in love with her.
Let’s just hope we don’t lose her to America any time soon – it seems they’re falling for her too.
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