FOLLOWING the release of her 2016 debut ‘For All We Know’, Neo Jessica Joshua, better known as Nao, brought her unique brand of soul to the O2 Ritz on Tuesday (October 25). We sent our reporter Alfie Verity along…
The gig began with a performance from support act Jorja Smith, whose soulful vocals provided the perfect appetiser for Nao’s performance.
Though short, her set explored a wide gamut of themes and sounds, including an ode to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby that married both the beauty of the original novel and the style of Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 adaptation.
Smith’s best moment was a performance of single ‘Blue Lights’, with her sweeping vocals radiating perfectly over the dark sublimity of the instrumental.
Amazing set from @JorjaSmith in #Manchester ?? pic.twitter.com/iYH52tEFcs
— HollyEverett (@HollyEverett9) October 25, 2016
Smith’s confident demeanour and powerful vocals worked seamlessly to set the tone for Nao’s performance.
In fact, the performance bled so perfectly into Nao that it seemed the two were trained to perform together – like a relay runner passing the baton on for a sprint to the finish line.
Nao has perfected the sound of luxury.
From her recent release ‘For All We Know’ to her previous EP’s; ‘February 15′ and the aptly titled ‘So Good’, Nao has always maintained a confident grasp on her use of powerful vocals and genre-blending to develop songs of incandescent beauty.
Many of her songs are of incredible breadth, with 2016 single ‘Girlfriend’ sounding undeniably huge and potent, addressing themes of insecurity (“If I was your girlfriend, could you pull me through?”) with a punch of unabashed confidence.
The scale of her songs meant a live performance needed Nao’s stage presence to match such power – a task she pulled off with aplomb.
The show was one of pure bombast, Nao’s effervescent stage presence being intrinsic to her performance.
On ‘For All We Know’s’ ‘Trophy’, Nao dissects a relationship where she is treated as a number or an object, initially exploring her self-doubt but arriving at a stance of empowerment, “Would you even notice me? I’m more than just a number … If you think that I’m a trophy you better change your mind.”
It is apt, then, that she delivers the track with such confidence and electricity, joining her band to drum along to her ballsy demand for respect.
This attitude continues with her roaring performance of ‘Fool to Love’, coming off stage to sing to the crowd and bask in the bouncing atmosphere she created.
@thisNAO thank you for gracing us with your insane voice tonight ✨ could happily have listened to u for hours and sang along terribly ?
— Rachel Sutherland (@Rach96135) October 26, 2016
Nao is a stand-out musician, moreover, for her ability to marry a disparate spectrum of genres from dark neo-soul to her self-described ‘wonky funk’.
Because of this, Nao’s set also devoted time apart from her dynamic grandiosity to moments of introspective balladry.
A highlight came from a performance of the aforementioned ‘Girlfriend’.
The rendition was electrifying, with Nao’s glowing vocals soaring over the track’s abrasive-yet-soulful instrumental, culminating in a charged storm that felt almost superlunary.
Manchester was so ready
NAO you're magic, thank you pic.twitter.com/UYVQiof0kN— naume. (@niixsse) October 25, 2016
Often at the gig, Nao remarked her disbelief at the large size of the audience, though, considering her music, wherein she often swings between self-analysis and loud confidence, it’s fitting that Nao would offer an earnest piece of self-doubt before assuredly belting a song – though unnecessary.
Nao shouldn’t be shocked at the size of the audience, it’s only appropriate for a musician whose vocals can readily fill a stadium.
It is in fact unsurprising, having heard Nao’s uncanny vocals in full force, that electronic producer heavyweights Disclosure and Mura Masa have used her singing on their tracks.
Nao’s use of vocals is outstanding, weaving in and out of wonky, wobbling instrumentals, changing instinctively to fit any mood or beat.
Nao is one of a kind in a league of her own, the type of musician we didn’t know how much we needed until she arrived.
By Alfie Verity
@alfieverity
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