“I didn’t expect it to be so busy tonight!” is our apology from the exceedingly tall man that has cheekily slotted himself in front of me at the last minute. While, Music Crowns want to give him a good shove, it’s true; Electric Brixton is rammed tonight. Fans scuttle back and forth from the balcony to the lower deck, desperately trying to wedge themselves into any available space with some kind of viewpoint before Christopher Taylor aka SOHN takes to the stage.
Stationing himself behind a mammoth-sized synth, Taylor launches straight into the stuttering vocal samples of ‘Tempest’ before silencing the crowd with his note-perfect falsetto. It’s a bold choice for an opening number, especially following it up with the equally-tender ‘Signals’, but Taylor knows exactly what he’s doing. The masterstroke of his entire show is his ability to build-up and break-down dynamics, controlling the audience’s energy without moving from his station or addressing the crowd much.
There’s no denying that the extravagant light show plays a part in enhancing the performance too. The beams, which change hue for each song and react to note changes, also act as a partition between Taylor and his live band- another element he uses to control dynamic. The testament to this is ‘Harbour’ which begins as a solo rendition before the band is injected halfway through. It’s a surefire highlight and proof of the power Taylor holds over the audience, as once again he exercises his ability to get the room moving as easily as he brought them to a standstill.
