A nice moment of universal alignment happened to me while writing this review. Having spent the day watching videos of Lianne La Havas on YouTube, I realised that it is almost exactly a year to the day that she first appeared on Later… with Jules Holland.
It was during the recording of this show that Justin Vernon/Bon Iver (who also made his debut British TV appearance on Later… three years earlier) asked her to join him on his US tour. Since then, La Havas has enjoyed wide ranging critical acclaim and commercial success.
Even after a year, La Havas remains the same: fame is yet to hit her. There is absolutely nothing about her stage presence, or the music itself, that distances her from the audience. The low-key arrangements and kitchen-sink lyrics of songs like ‘Age’ or ‘Lost and Found’ show no delusions of grandeur. This means that her fans not only get her music, but they root for her as a person, something that was made clear by the constant exclamations of “I love her!” between friends in the audience.
Her opening track ‘No Room for Doubt’ brought complete silence to the venue. Despite the lack of Willy Mason’s mournful backing vocals that feature on the album version, this was one of the most powerful moments of the night, with Lianne’s flawless yet expressive guitar work being the backbone around which her lullaby-ish refrains are draped.
This was one of only three moments during the set that she was by herself, with an incredibly talented (and sharply dressed) backing band joining her for most of the set. The sheer skill and musicianship of everyone on stage came to the fore during ‘Is Your Love Big Enough?’, a gloriously playful pop-soul tune with a 6/8 groove and intricate drumwork reminiscent of Radiohead’s ‘15 Step’. This complex songwriting, heavily rooted in pop sensibilities, puts her more in common with Regina Spektor or Cat Power than her UK counterparts.
Despite the more intimate moments, including the crowd-pleasing ‘Age’ as a set-closer, La Havas’ voice is clearly powerful enough for larger arrangements. Whether she chooses to stick to her stripped-back style or experiment with a more polished sound, she is likely to join the likes of Amy Winehouse and Adele as figureheads of authentic British female talent.