For first up is Cocknbullkid, who soars onto the stage wearing a Native American-esque garment around her neck. Showcasing a soothing, sherbetty voice, supported by a tight five-piece band, she rattles through 3-minute pop gem after 3-minute pop gem. Numbers such as recent single ‘Hold On To Your Misery’ are manufactured, motown-influenced slices of pop of the highest order. It’s beyond me why she hasn’t sold more records. Maybe it’s the frankly quite infantile nature of the lyrics and the rhythm – she elicits handclaps and a few funny wiggles in a Jackson 5 kinda vibe. Perhaps we as a nation are now too sophisticated? Who knows.
The band are almost distracted on several occasions by Bristol mega-gig-fan ‘Big Jeff’, who in fact attends a gig here nearly every night. He stands at six foot-something, right at the front, headbanging riotously, his shaggy blonde mop waving everywhere. The backing singer finds it particularly amusing.
But now another peculiar man steps up in a top hat, sliding ghostly over the stage floor like a possessed circus ringleader. ‘Good Evening’ he says, subsequently introducing the show in a round about way. To our amazement a huge screen illuminates at the back of the stage. Monae’s face appears like it does on the TheArchAndroid sleeve, announcing to us the dystopic sci-fi setting which the aforementioned album depicted so well. 'Suite II Overture' plays as the band come on. They are followed by three hooded nuns, one of which, we presume, is Janelle Monae.
The band launch into 'Dance Or Die', a Lauryn Hill-esque hiphop-meets-pure-pop bonanza. Saul Williams' voice is heard and Monae sings under her cloak for the duration, her unveiling coming towards the end as she appears like an evil, cackling clown. The band is one of the tightest I’ve seen, and they manage to keep it up even whilst dancing frenziedly and relentlessly.
They initially move chronologically (tracklist-wise), the next tunes, 'Faster' and 'Locked Inside', sounding like the energetic Beyonce-lite number ones that they never became, but should have. Her flutteringly soulful voice is sublime.
Monae and most of the band then depart, mysteriously leaving the guitarist alone, resembling Andre 3000 but as if left on the streets for weeks, and wearing a suit. He plays a minute-long solo, before Monae returns to perform ‘Smile’, off 2007’s Metropolis: Suite I (The Chase) EP. The bare backing allows her voice to strive. And it simply can’t be put into words how awe-inspiring the vocal performance is. It is otherworldly, spine-tingling… That's the best I can do.
Her ensuing theatrics are what I was really rambling on about in the first paragraph. It's the pulling out of the stops, the concentration and the stamina which are key. Monae ticks all the boxes. She reminds me of a modern day Grace Jones - the props (e.g. in an elongated, progged out version of the chilled 'Mushrooms & Roses', out comes a canvas, on which she paints before us a bird, a face, a squiggly line and an 'I Love You' message, naturally), the incessant costume changes (for whom she has people to help), the backing singers (who dance maniacally, at one point impersonating zombies) and the ability the weave all these obtrusive splurges together, still maintaining an overriding musicality and amazing voice.
Indeed, if she's Grace Jones, then her bassist and drummer make up a sublime rhythm section, like a de-reggified, funkier Sly & Robbie. Their pulses are integrated preeningly, and they are evidently enjoying themselves; they always have huge smiles and dance like madmen.
The unsurprising highlights come via the hits: Cold War and Tightrope. The academy floor shakes and hands flail. I have never seen this many people simultaneously enjoying themselves. It is sheer mania. 'Whether you're high or low, you gotta tip on the tightrope', Monae sings, and people move with her, up and down. 'What's your marital status?', one audience member shouts.
A hysteric ending comes courtesy of the riff-dominated 'Come Alive (War of the Roses)'. By now her already incredible hair has been transformed to a Sideshow Bob-esque 'do'. She shrieks, and the crowd shrieks back. At one point (God knows what was happening) she manages to get the entire audience to sit down on the floor (which, by the way, is beer-stricken, and very, very cramped.) That's adulation for you, adulation which is most definitely warranted. For tonight we bear witness to the greatest solo artist in the world, adored by everyone in the room: a marvel soon to be adored by the entire universe.
Cocknbullkid 6/10
Janelle Monae 10/10
Some nice fella captured the tophatted man, the visuals, 'Dance Or Die', 'Faster' and 'Locked Inside' on tape, uploading it all onto youtube:
Her ensuing theatrics are what I was really rambling on about in the first paragraph. It's the pulling out of the stops, the concentration and the stamina which are key. Monae ticks all the boxes. She reminds me of a modern day Grace Jones - the props (e.g. in an elongated, progged out version of the chilled 'Mushrooms & Roses', out comes a canvas, on which she paints before us a bird, a face, a squiggly line and an 'I Love You' message, naturally), the incessant costume changes (for whom she has people to help), the backing singers (who dance maniacally, at one point impersonating zombies) and the ability the weave all these obtrusive splurges together, still maintaining an overriding musicality and amazing voice.
Indeed, if she's Grace Jones, then her bassist and drummer make up a sublime rhythm section, like a de-reggified, funkier Sly & Robbie. Their pulses are integrated preeningly, and they are evidently enjoying themselves; they always have huge smiles and dance like madmen.
The unsurprising highlights come via the hits: Cold War and Tightrope. The academy floor shakes and hands flail. I have never seen this many people simultaneously enjoying themselves. It is sheer mania. 'Whether you're high or low, you gotta tip on the tightrope', Monae sings, and people move with her, up and down. 'What's your marital status?', one audience member shouts.
A hysteric ending comes courtesy of the riff-dominated 'Come Alive (War of the Roses)'. By now her already incredible hair has been transformed to a Sideshow Bob-esque 'do'. She shrieks, and the crowd shrieks back. At one point (God knows what was happening) she manages to get the entire audience to sit down on the floor (which, by the way, is beer-stricken, and very, very cramped.) That's adulation for you, adulation which is most definitely warranted. For tonight we bear witness to the greatest solo artist in the world, adored by everyone in the room: a marvel soon to be adored by the entire universe.
Cocknbullkid 6/10
Janelle Monae 10/10
Some nice fella captured the tophatted man, the visuals, 'Dance Or Die', 'Faster' and 'Locked Inside' on tape, uploading it all onto youtube:
