Michael Kiwanuka – Usher Hall, Edinburgh 12.03.2015

Some people are just made to play certain venues, they just understand them and create a vibe and a show that suits the venue down to the ground.

Michael Kiwanuka and the Usher Hall is the prefect example of this phenomenon, the singer songwriter’s show filled this venue with a warmth and yet stillness that was highly impressive. There was no need for showy theatrics, the staging, like we were sitting in his house, together with the intimate nature of Michael’s performance all made for the prefect gig.

There was nothing flashy about this show, and it was all the better for it, the crowd were drawn in by the intense honesty of the performance, the quality of the delivery, both by Michael and the band themselves and by the beauty of the music and lyrics.

Many of the songs felt like slow burners that lured the whole audience in, made them almost hold their breath and then slowly released them with a feeling of seeing a master musician at the top of his game, the intimacy between singer and crowd was a joy to behold. I watched some of the crowd during the show and they were in rapture, knowing they were listening to and seeing a consummate performer.

Michael’s music has always spoken for itself in terms of just how good a song writer he is, how good a soul singer he is and what a lyricist he is which is why he’s a mercury prize winner, but when he performs it live like this, there are very few artists alive today who can compare, this is an artist who has grown and blossomed, who clearly now accepts how good he is and who is embracing that fact.

This was not the show to go to if you wanted a lot of talking from the stage, Michael was very economical in his engagement with the crowd between songs but that didn’t bother the crowd, they were adoring and peaceful while listen to him sing while erupting in their appreciation when he had finished.

It was a slightly unusual crowd which I think is testament to the spread of Michael’s audience, when collecting my ticket I heard many people ask questions regular gig goers would have known the answer to, it was endearing to see people who possibly hadn’t been to a show in some time, if indeed they had ever, clearly hyped to see this sold out gig.

Michael’s last album is a thing of beauty, as have been the previous two albums, he is growing in popularity all of the time and may soon outgrow venues such as this one, I therefore feel privileged that I got to see and hear him at the Usher Hall as the combination was perfect. What Michael did on a lovely night in Edinburgh was build a connection with his audience, allowing his songs to live and breath, very much in the old school style of classic soul stars but very much with a contemporary twist. It really doesn’t get better than this.

Michael Kiwanuka

Review - Iain McClay