Photo: Press
Ghanaian-born London artist Kwabs brought drama, an indisputable quality and spirit to the fashionable Village Underground with his gospel, electro fusion, as he put the lion’s share of contemporary artists to shame.
There was an archangelic lucidity to his modern soul, whilst his deep, ominous and, at times, gruff voice bellowed to hold a note like a warrior, then surged to an humongous falsetto with the clearest delivery and impact.
To be honest, you could listen to Kwabs sing ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes’ and still be dumbfounded – you cannot learn tone like that, it’s a gift.
Mid-way through the set, Kwabs admitted the upcoming song was ‘Utterly Filthy’ and that “it was not [his] intention to make babies tonight”. The Barry White-esk soul standard, which reached sovereign Minnie Riperton heights, saw the artist seductively rip off his woollen cardigan, in a sort of strip tease, something not many male performers could pull off with dignity, but he does, as even when he spills a drink, he’s cool.
Then came ‘Spirit Fade’, where Kwabs thanked Dave Okumu for making the tune with him and the jazz, funk breakdown proved his roots as a student of jazz at the Royal Academy of Music. Later, in contrast, was a jovial R&B number, which broadcast the empowering line, “no way I’m going down that track”.
The encore provided what the crowd had been waiting for, as he offered the title song of his recent EP ‘Wrong or Right’. For the closer, the band vacated the stage and everyone could tell things were about to get intense. Just keys and Kwabs for the stripped back ‘Perfect Ruin’, which was, to say the least, a moving affair.
At the risk of sound like a sycophant, Kwabs is nothing if not flawless. He emits true talent through every pour and I foresee an anthology of timeless albums. My only criticism of the night was the sheer volume, so booming that I may have perforated an eardrum. However, one can see ones' self one day telling the grandchildren about that gig and saying, it was definitely worth it.
