FKA Twigs @ Birmingham Institute – 3rd October 2014
You may never have heard of Tahliah Debrett Barnett but I’d put good money on most people being aware of her alter-ego FKA Twigs before long. While the tabloids get all excited about the singer dating Twilight star Robert Pattinson, it’s her music and theatrical performances which should soon be the talking point. That, along with the fact that her debut album, cleverly titled LP1, has been nominated for this year’s Mercury Music Prize, should mean that she has a bright future ahead of her.
Tonight, in the Library room at Birmingham’s Institute, a packed out room eagerly await the arrival on stage of this intriguing new artist. As the electronic sounds buzz into life, Twigs saunters into view and is immediately mesmerising, floating across the stage as if in some kind of trance. She stares down the front rows of the crowd and twists and turns her arms like a stone-faced Indian dancer before launching into a set of pulsating electronic songs that led Time magazine to describe her as “one of the most compelling and complex acts in R&B”.
Lights On is full of sexual energy whilst Give Up takes the tempo right down, channelling Prince as much as James Blake. The stage is dimly lit, with oversized light bulbs being the only decor. The three musicians around her lay down the precise percussion and electronic beats beautifully as Twigs, who is originally pursued a career as a dancer (check out Jessie J’s Do It Like A Dude video), dances around the stage and delivers those sublime vocals.
She tells us that her parents are from Birmingham and that the city is close to her heart but banter is kept to an absolute minimum as she chooses to express herself though the music and performance like a 21st century Kate Bush. The sound is rich and bass-heavy and the lighting minimal yet extremely effective.
At one point she stops to sign a record for a fan on the front row before the crowd-pleasing Two Weeks draws the hour-long set to a conclusion. A unique and thoroughly engaging set from an artist who is no doubt only just beginning her journey. I’ll be watching with interest to see where she goes next.
Review & photos Steve Gerrard