Despite seeing Bastille the night previous, we couldn't help but snap up the opportunity to see our woman of the moment, VV Brown, at The Electrowerkz last night (October 17th). The tiny venue held host to what was, of course, a night to remember and, despite not running quite as smoothly for us as an audience, there's no way that we can suggest that it was a flop.
Unlike many gigs you'll go to, it was quite plain to see why each support act had been chosen. Though, in suggesting this, and with a heavy heart, this does not suggest that we enjoyed both of them. First on, and quite a lot later than scheduled, Mandlebrot took to the stage. From the off-set, their stage-presence was unmatched to their aggressive sound ... but that's the point, it seems much easier to describe what they played as sound rather than music.We understand the aggression they had, but the lack of a vocalist who could use their talent to include a vocal riff meant that, through each piece in the half an hour set, you sat there wondering what it was that was being played. The reason we understood why Mandlebrot had been chosen was for their great aggression and capability of experimentalism, although, this was somewhat short-lived and, whilst we could appreciate what they were trying to achieve, something crisper, with a vocal or a melody would have achieved them much greater success.
Second on was Mayaeni. In comparison to the likes of Mandlebrot, it was plain to see that they were worlds apart. She had an aura on stage that showed complete ease and, whilst joking with her audience, and then propelling herself into her music, it seemed that, as a unit, the crowd became intrigued and fascinated by this beautiful woman.Seeing as this music (please note the word "music", rather than "sound") would be considered so different to that of Mandlebrot, how was it still capable of being chosen to support VV? Well, the answer, in this case, was even more simple. Though it was a little rockier than pop, but somewhat pop-pier than rock ... this was moreso about the empowerment of women, and less about the sound that she made being in line with that of VV's. This empowerment, which we will discuss further shortly, is something that we feel Brown is very passionate about and, in return, meant that these two female fronted acts could work in unison to show that equality for women in both music, and the world, are vitally important.
To break this down easily, we felt compelled, once she had left the stage, to tap Mayaeni on the shoulder and congratulate her on an incredible set. We've fallen for her somewhat and, whilst it isn't particularly easy to find or buy her music just yet, we cannot wait for the day that it is readily available, for we (surely amongst many others who witnessed the set last night) will be buying every piece that we physically can.
As with most gigs, when the headliner emerged, the place became a haven of shrieks, whistles, screams, cheers, and clapping. VV had arrived, in all of her glory. She began her set with a rendition of Looking For Love ... and somehow was capable of imitating the mastered track to a T - and that was what made this set and this very album, particularly special.VV Brown has grown in so many ways in the past few years to become one of the most incredible women we've ever seen or heard of. Her presence on stage showed that of a humble woman who had worked hard to get to the where she was, and therefore, represented a particularly powerful and awe-inspiring segment of the world ... despite this being written by a young male.
With every song, VV tackled the pieces that you wouldn't have expected to go smoothly, with absolute poise. There were even cases where we questioned whether or not she was actually singing it because it sounded that perfect but, to our amazement and joy, she would sometimes change the way in which it was sung, just so that we knew!!
Her set consisted of all of our favourites from the new record and, with each and every song that passed, including that of Igneous, Samson, Faith, and Ghosts ... our infatuation of this woman grew more and more.
It's no secret that we still believe that her latest album, Samson & Delilah, is our album of the year and, with this year drawing to an almighty close, we don't see anything changing our decision. The fact that VV Brown managed to even further our already incredible love for her last night, reinforces that fact that this record means the world to her, and that this is a new era in what is sure to be the most incredible career we've ever followed. We beg of you, if you ever get the chance, see VV Brown, you won't be able to do it again in such an intimate way.
Paul.
