Gig Review: Wired!

Last night MOBO, along with what seemed to be the whole of the London neo-soul scene, made our way down to Shoredtich house for “Wired”. As one of London’s hippest live music nights, Wired has a reputation for showcasing upcoming artists just before they are about to blow! And this night was no exception.

There was an almost audible buzz in the audience, which included some pretty big players in music. Among those MOBO spotted were former Sugababe Keisha Buchanan, R&B trio Fundamental, soon to be superstar Jessie J, former X - Factor contestant Laura White (who’s album drops later this year) and upcoming singer/songwriter Mike Hough.

Anyway, onto the music! Taking to the stage first was rapper Mr Man, who got the crowed warmed up with his unique brand of hip hop, reggae and dubstep. Backed by an awesome live band, Mr Man definitely got everyone going and the audience erupted in applause when the bands percussionist broke off into an amazing conga solo. Mr Man’s lyrical delivery was refreshingly forward thinking and at times reminiscent of the positive hip hop that first made  A Tribe Called Quest famous.

London soul singer Cherri V was next to take the mic and literally blew everyone away with an inspired stripped down rendition of Drake’s “Over”. I remember seeing Cherri V a few months back at the launch for her single “School Dayz” and remember being impressed. Last night however, she completely blew me away! She commanded the stage with her vocal prowess and with a shock of red hair looked every bit the soul/R&B diva. Cherri next launched into a funked up cover of Tinie Tempah’s “Pass Out” and then segued into Rihanna’s “Rude Boy”. Every performer dreams of having one of those gigs when every note is perfect and every run comes off flawlessly. This was definitely that gig for Cherri V.

Closing the show was the artist that many of the audience members had been waiting for, the uber talented Terri Walker. As one of the most critically acclaimed neo soul artists in the U.K over the last few years, not to mention a former MOBO nominee, Terri possesses a distinctively soulful voice and some brilliantly written songs. Among her set at Wired were some old school favorites including “Ching Ching (Lovin You Still)”, “Drawing Board” and the classic “Guess You Didn’t Love Me”. Newly signed to Jay Z’s Roc-A-Fella records (that’s a BIG look!), Terri is planning to release some brand new material towards the end of the year. Watch this space!

Written by Chris O'Gorman (@MrCOG)