Content:
Tonight was a total triumph, but this exciting story is only just beginning.
Words: Ali Shutler.
Photos: Frances Beach.
Leigh-Anne is a pop star with a purpose. After spending ten years as part of the arena-dominating Little Mix, her solo career has seen her embrace her own story. An early run of singles saw her reconnect with her Jamaican and Bajan heritage while new EP ‘No Hard Feelings’ is her “perfectly imperfect love story”.
“This collection of music is so important to my journey. I was able to be open, honest and vulnerable,” she says onstage at her first ever headline show. “It was a scary thing to do, but I’m glad I did it,” she adds with a smile.
Sprawling opening track ‘Don’t Say Love’ sees her instantly embracing fans in the front row, a gorgeous, heartfelt take on Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red’ is full of pained heartache while a “cheeky” acoustic version of Little Mix’s ‘Touch’ starts beautiful and delicate but quickly turns into boisterous karaoke. Then there’s the defiant, glitching ‘I’ll Still Be Here’, which finds determined joy through hurt. “There is so much hate and evil in the world, but there’s so much love as well,” she tells the crowd, encouraging them to chase moments of togetherness whenever they can.
The 600-capacity Lafayette is far more intimate than the venues Leigh-Anne is used to, and with all this talk of honest, vulnerable music, it’d be easy for tonight to be a stripped-down affair. Leigh-Anne is a pop-star who thrives on theatricality though. A two-piece live band gives the upbeat music a gleeful weight and she’s joined by a dancer throughout the set, with the pair throwing themselves into urgent choreography. A costume change is soundtracked by a spoken word poem about obsession, struggle, and eventual happiness with nods to her husband and twins, while the main set ends with a dramatic curtain close. It’s a thoughtful, carefully constructed show that’s clearly been crafted with much bigger rooms in mind.
The gig begins with a pre-recorded spoken word message, with Leigh-Anne admitting that for years, she felt overlooked. This solo career has helped her move past that though. “I feel like I’ve already won,” Leigh explains. That celebratory feeling flows through the night.
From the swaggering groove of ‘Anticipate’, through the ambitious, angsty ‘Stealin’ Love’ to the ecstatic abandon of ‘Forbidden Fruit’, there’s a real sense of freedom to the gig. For all the rehearsed choreography, Leigh-Anne spends a majority of the show vibing to her own music and dancing with fans who have flown in from Greece, Brazil, Germany and Frances.
Leigh-Anne uses the gig to debut the sunshine funk of new track ‘Nature’, a smirking hint at where her story goes next, while the snarling dance of ‘OMG’ and the giddy blowout of ‘My Love’ bring the night to a close in glorious, euphoric fashion. “We made it,” she screams into the crowd, full of pride and a touch of surprise. She knows tonight was a total triumph, but this exciting story is only just beginning.
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