The last night of the BBC 6 Music Festival has a lot of hype surrounding it as Depeche Mode plays the Barrowlands for the first time since 1984. Tickets were apparently reselling for around £700.
Attention shouldn’t be solely on the Essex band as the lineup over the whole weekend is fantastic. Belle & Sebastian closed the festival at the O2 Academy while Anna Meredith closed Saint Lukes.
Saint Lukes is situated just next to the Barrowlands. It’s would be hard to miss the event as the BBC 6 logo is projected onto the front of the venue. Saint Lukes is a refurbished church which makes for a fantastic backdrop – stain glass windows frame the stage with a huge organ in the middle.
The setting was perfect for the first act Kadhja Bonet. The LA singer-songwriter had been in the UK and after a short tour of England with a few Europe dates. Bonet performs a jazz inspired set which resonated throughout the hall.
Playing the guitar and accompanied with another, the soft music was the only thing that can be heard as the crowd stops to listen to her outstanding, yet effortless vocals.
Her first song ‘Honeycomb‘ is well suited to the venue as the guitar replicates an organ. In songs like ‘This Love‘, her vocals deliberately follow and intertwine with the guitar melody.
The lack of band means there was nothing to distract the crowd from her vocals. However, it would definitely be interesting to see how she would have performed with a full band.
Next to take to the stage is composer and producer Forest Swords. It would be easy to describe him simply as an electronic composer, but he’s much more than that. His music is experimental, textural, and dynamic, and it shows during his performance.
His entire set is cohesive and gels well together. However, every song has it’s own distinct sound – one pays homage to world music influences, while others have hints of jazz. Some songs are slightly jarring in places but it adds to the ambience and holds the attention of the room.
Forest Swords, real name Matthew Barnes, has incredible energy during the performance and clearly enjoys his artform. The lighting was in line with the music, changing with the beats and enhancing the songs. They weren’t overbearing, and it’s subtleties like this that make him such a joy to watch and listen to.
Gaika was next to perform for the festival. The Brixton musician takes to the stage and starts his set by singing over soft synths. His vocal style can easily be compared to Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke‘s solo work. However, this quickly shifts as he begins to rap over heavy synths and drums. This is the first indication that the artist is going to be blurring the lines between genres.
Gaika is one of the most engaging artists of the night so far. Between songs, he speaks to the crowd and tries to get everyone hyped: “I think we’ve come to the end of the swearing ban… I hope so ’cause this song is kind of sweary.”
Throughout his set Gaika hits aspects of world music, dancehall, R’n’B and more. His stage presence mixed with his inherently interesting music makes him an artist to watch in 2017.
Between Gaika and the headliner, Anna Meredith, the stage has to be set up and so we are treated to a DJ set by Mogwai‘s Stuart Braithwaite and BBC 6’s own Mary Anne Hobbs.
The final act on the bill is Anna Meredith, London-born/Scotland-raised musician. Her music is experimental, fusing electronic with acoustic and orchestral.
The singer-songwriter was the winner of the Scottish Album of the Year Awards (aka the SAY awards) in 2016. The awards ceremony focuses on the best emerging talent in Scotland and watching the singer-songwriter it’s clear why she won. Her eclectic sound captures the room and has everyone wanting more.
