“I stand here in front of you as a proud queer black woman.” These aren’t just empty words from Janelle Monae as she uses this speech to raise up those who are marginalised in society. This pride permeates throughout every second of her 90 minute set, her slightly off-kilter performance creating a safe space for her ‘dirty computers’.
Opening her set with the joyous ‘Crazy, Classic Life’ she glides into flawless renditions of recent album highlights ‘Screwed’ and ‘Django Jane’, the former comes complete with water guns spewing water into the crowd. Monae’s voice sounds effortless throughout, switching from harmonious singing to flawless rapping throughout her set, each with swagger.
Unlike many other pop concerts where artists will cut song length to include more of your favourite tracks, Monae allows each song time to breathe, adding in guitar or horn solos or funky dance breaks. It's with these extended cuts that the best moments of the show are born. During 'I Got The Juice', Monae invites members of the crowd on to the stage and proceeds to ask them if they have the juice. As each member shows off their best moves in their best regalia (makeshift vagina trousers from the ‘Pynk’ video are a particular highlight), the room erupts, bringing a true safe space to the SSE Arena Wembley.
Final song 'Cold War' sees the singer removing her boots, tights, jacket and trousers as she commands the crowd to get low. "What I'm about to do is very illegal" she says as she walks through the lowered crowd and joins them for a final dance, allowing herself the freedom she's been declaring all night.
Before the encore starts, Monae plays her breakout hit 'Tightrope', not only is it a crowd pleaser and shows off the full range of her singing capabilities but ends with Monae raising her mic stand in the air and declaring "I'm Janelle Monae and I stand nine feet tall", saving the final bit of pride for herself.
Pride season may be over but Janelle Monae is here to remind you that pride lasts all year.
