Jessie Ware isn’t your typical popstar. Her elegant, soulful music is matched by her
sophisticated, classy performance that oozes sensuality. Yet when the cheers of the Shepherd's Bush crowd
hit a crescendo, her face cracked into a smile and she couldn’t help herself
but giggle. Ware has earned a legion of
devoted fans, but fame has clearly come unexpectedly for the young London
singer. As she spoke candidly of her
collaborators, danced through the songs with quirky facial expressions and joked
about having hair in her mouth whilst singing, the sophisticated façade fell
away. Underneath she’s just one of us –
utterly personable and humbled by her success.
With the audience filled with her friends and family for this, the last
UK date of her tour, it ensured a celebratory atmosphere brimming with pride.
The party was given a noisy start from support act Man Like
Me. The characterful spoken vocals from
frontman Johnny Langer may be an acquired taste, but some Cee-Lo esque vocals
from friend Ade and the addition of live brass ensured some catchy melodies
above the infectious dance and afrobeats.
Bounding around the stage and performing some comedic dance routines,
Man Like Me seemed like an odd choice of support act (Laura Mvula – who supported
the rest of the tour – was sorely missed), but when Ware revealed she used to
be a member of the band, it was yet another example of friendly support.
Ware’s set comprised tracks from her Mercury nominated debut ‘Devotion’, as well as Valentine (a
duet with her talented drummer, rather than original vocalist Sampha) and, best
of all, a new track Imagine It Was Us
described by Ware as a “summer tune”, with definite shades of 80s Madonna. With the live band, her already excellent
songs were given new lease of life: If
You’re Never Gonna Move skittered breezily over the audience; Still Love Me had an almost grungy feel
with live guitars; and No To Love included
singing from the Goldsmith’s Vocal Ensemble for a dash of musical theatre
appreciated by no-one more than Ware herself.
Her sublime, faultless vocal soared effortlessly through the full
spectrum of funk grooves and heartfelt ballads.
And those heartfelt ballads are very personal songs, made
all the more so by the presence of her friends and family. As she shed a tear, overwhelmed by the crowd’s
support, it was clear how much this gig meant to her – it was an honour to be a
part of it.
5/5