More about: Celeste

Celeste recently completed an intimate five-night residency of Islington’s astounding Union Chapel (if you’ve been to a performance there you'll know the mixture of intimacy and gravitas that the venue holds). In celebration, last night (15 July) Celeste premiered a stream of one of those evenings, intertwined with a selection of behind-the-scenes interview snippets and soundcheck clips.

It feels quite emotional to see a live audience on a stream, the chapel rows each fitted with art-deco lights so as to transform them into small jazz club-style tables. Opening with a smouldering rendition of ‘Ideal Woman’, Celeste's soulful tone has the audience absolutely mesmerised in their seats. Her incredible vocals are captivating, demanding all the attention of the room.

The first half of the evening places a spotlight on some of the smoother tracks in Celeste’s discography, and in this live setting, they really come alive. ‘Father’s Son’ is especially emotional, whilst ‘Beloved’ and ‘The Promise’ are pitch-perfect. We’re not treated to much talk between tracks: the documentary segments feel quite jarring during the more intimate section of the show, as they tend to pull you away from the atmosphere, reminding you you’re not actually witnessing this in the flesh. That’s not to say it isn’t an interesting inclusion as it peels back the curtain on Celeste’s quite reserved stage presence. She quickly and rightfully praises her brilliant and tight accompanying band but comes across as fairly self-critical when to my ears she didn’t sing a note wrong all night. 

There are a couple of truly jaw-dropping moments scattered in amongst her smokey jazz-soul set. She plays with the audience as she slowly builds up to an incredibly powerful rendition of ‘Stop This Flame’. Cheers erupt from the up-until-now reserved crowd: even sitting in my lounge, I'm left with goosebumps. ‘A Kiss’ feels like a Bond theme in all but name and with its regal strings, it’s ‘Love Is Back’ that leaves the most lasting impression. 

The evening is a great opportunity to celebrate and enjoy Celeste’s album Not Your Muse. It’s a shame to miss the wondrous ‘Tonight, Tonight’ or ‘Tell Me Something I Don’t Know’, though ‘Strange’ makes for a fitting finale, evoking that special Brits performance. You could hear a pin drop as a spotlight focuses solely on Celeste, making the chapel feel somehow 10 times more intimate. It's an interesting choice to close on the unreleased ‘This Is Who I Am’, though it does make for a grandiose moment and is sure to be another gem in her discography when released. 

As she hits the final note of the evening, Celeste's face is awash with delight as the rapturous crowd drowns her out with applause and a standing ovation… and I’m left scrambling for tickets to see her perform on a real-life stage.

You can stream the performance now via LIVENow here.

More about: Celeste