Gig Review: Janelle Monae

So last night I headed up to the Hoxton Bar and Grill to witness the huge talent that is Miss Janelle Monae! Having known about this lovely lady for a few years and absolutely loving her first LP ‘Metropolis: Suite 1 (The Chase)’ and her latest instalment ‘The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III)’, I was overly excited at the prospect of seeing her perform live!

Having founded the Wonderland Arts Society, the label to which she is currently signed, as well as being signed to Bad Boy/Atlantic records, Miss Monae has a multitude of talents and her music transcends any genres that are generally associated with black female artists. Her music has notably drawn influences from rock n roll, soul, jive and motown and her style reflects an androgynous, non flesh baring quintessential classic look that has seen her being labelled as one of the most exciting new artists in years.

With all of this in mind, I was slightly anxious as to whether she would live up to the hype. Having arrived at the venue at 8pm it was not until 10pm that the set finally began. The lights dipped, the live band took their place and three hooded cloaks appeared on stage! At this point the anticipation had reached boiling point as the crowd cheered, whistled and screamed at the three anonymous slightly scary looking figures! The cloaks began to sway to the sound of the bass guitar, keys and drums then a small voice was heard rapping. The stage lights came on and Janelle dropped her hood to reveal her perfectly sculpted quiff and the longest eyelashes I’ve ever seen!!

I was stood right at the front (so as not to miss a minute!) and was thoroughly entertained (understatement of the century!) as she worked her way through an hour and a half set. The set list included ‘Dance or Die’, ‘Faster’, ‘Locked Inside’, ‘Smile’, ‘Cold War’, ‘Tightrope’, ‘Sincerely Jane’, ‘Neon Gunbo’, ‘Violet Stars Happy Hunting’ and ‘Many Moons’.

‘Dance or Die’ and ‘Faster’ definitely got the crowd moving and on more than a few occasions her perfect quiff fell out of place covering her face in a sea of afro! This did not faze the young performer as she continued to jump around the stage with such energy and vibrancy you couldn’t help but to dance along with her.

She slowed the set down with her Charlie Chaplin cover of ‘Smile’ accompanied only by the brilliantly cool bass guitarist (very reminiscent of Andre 3000!). This showcased her amazingly soulful yet well composed vocal ability as she effortlessly made her way through the track with the underrated simplicity of a true performer.

‘Tightrope’, her current single exhibited her playful character and her ability to engage an audience with her stage presence and smooth old school dance moves!

She closed the set with ‘Violet Stars Happy Hunting’ and ‘Many Moons’ which for me was a real treat as I absolutely love both tracks. By this time the audience was sweating it out in a room of such contagious high energy, with balloons flying everywhere and her two masked dancers mingling in the crowd helping to add to the unique live music experience that she provided.

I left the gig on such a high that I found myself in the street doing a few Monae moves along with a huge group of elated Janelle lovers! If anything, she completely surpassed my expectations and I am still amazed at how such a petit young lady can be such a vocal powerhouse yet maintain a level of such high energy!

She without a doubt deserves all the praise she is receiving and I’m sure her success will continue to grow as we have not had such a uniquely talented black female artist grace the music industry in a while.

If you haven’t cop’d her album yet, then what are you waiting for??! ‘The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III)’ is in stores now and is also available to download on ITunes!

Written by Vanessa Idika