9th November 2017
With a thunderous quiver EERA and her band mates launch into Living. Her songs are like steely clouds, heavy in the venue. With black lips and a white guitar that’s bigger than she is, she’s a captivating force on the stage, vivid and expressive. Melodies swim sullenly over guttural assaults of chords and compulsive riffs. I Wanna Dance is lively and much heavier than on record, and Christina epic and abrasive. A mix of catchy melodies, simmering riffs and distorted phrases, the whole thing is underpinned with a sense of energy bursting out of its confines.
Dark and shadowy at the same time as being sweetly beguiling, the Norwegian singer might not have managed to get the crowd talking, but she did have them listening. As the crowd fills up and her sound swells, there’s a sense of excitement brewing.
And the main event provides reason for that excitement. Ghostpoet performs with characteristic aplomb and gravitas. Tunes are powerful and potent, beats scattering like gunshots made of glass. Both the songs and the man are of a vivacious character, captivating the audience, and Obaro Ejimiwe’s lyrical gymnastics pummel away at a doggedly smacked out pace. Compulsive rhythms are joyfully executed, impressive and imposing. The first half of the set is new album heavy, but the tunes are catchy enough to already have their fans. His fourth record, Dark Days + Canapés has a sense of forboding about it that translates well to the industrial set of the Roundhouse, but its sometimes bleak nature is lifted by the lighter moments and big hits. EERA joins the band on Dopamine If I Do’, the track to which she lent her vocals prior to the tour.
Twitchy, compelling, and deliciously varied, Ghostpoet can’t help but captivate. Is it rap? Is it rock? Is it poetry? Is it music? Genre defying but utterly entertaining.