Katy B – Koko, London 26/03/14

As with several other artists hot in the mainstream-pop limelight, my experience of Katy B had become soured by many a shoddy student night as well as daytime radio’s intolerable obsession with playing a chart hit four times an hour. I approached her sold out London date of the Number One Little Red tour, then, with the hope of restoring faith in the clearly talented musician. I wasn’t let down.

Support tonight comes from the insatiably hip Sasha Keable, who gained a massive fan base from her collaboration with Disclosure on “Voices”, which was released last December. Her rendition of Lorde’s “Royals” is particularly impressive, offering a more sultry take on the hit and with a sonically diverse blend of electronic and live drums.

By Eight o’clock Camden’s boutique Koko is filled to the brim, and with most of the crowd dressed to the nines, there is much more of a club atmosphere than a concert. This is apt, really, as a punctual Katy B arrives on stage with her dancers to “Hot Like Fire”, which blends family-friendly d’n’b choruses with mild house-style verses. Her new album Little Red is top of the agenda as she next drops straight into the strongest track on the record “5am”. Its pulsing off-beats and dark chimes are positively stimulating, contrasting with the chanteuse’s pleas for a sedative: “I need some loving like valium”.

In a way her needs are answered as the set loses a little momentum as the dancers leave Katy to plough through more new material. That is not to say it not enjoyed; “Blue Eyes” spruces up the set with crisp garage grooves, whilst “Still”, a power ballad-to-be, draws the attention back to the singer’s voice. Interestingly, despite the club sound that she has been come to known for, the peak of the set is by far the two acoustic versions of “Tumbling Down”, which Katy admits to be her favourite track of the new release, and her most recent single “Crying for No Reason”. Both are touchingly raw and honest, fading a much different light on an individual normally known for her London swagger.

Maybe it’s the theatrical setting, but some of Katy’s calls to the audience verge on pantomime: “I see you up there”, she calls to the upper levels; “this one is for the singles out there. I’d love for a couple to meet at one of my shows!” It’s a little cheesy, but she’s clearly very happy to play to a home crowd, and her positivity is radiant. After closing with “Katy on a Mission” from her debut, such is her excitement that she cannot wait for the suspense of an encore, and in less than a minute reappears for a medley of “Perfect Stranger” and “Emotions”. The set is once again as electric as its start, and even a tired-looking Miss Dynamite, who appears slightly half-hearted in joining the star of the evening for the huge party anthem “Lights On”, cannot curb Katy from bouncing with excitement.

Despite a few troughs in the momentum of the evening, it was revitalising to witness the life behind songs that can easily become saturated by overkilled exposure.

Katy B plays the last few dates of the Little Red tour this month, details can be found here.

Set List:

Hot Like Fire
5am
Broken Record/ Let Me Be Your Fantasy
Blue Eyes
Sapphire Blue
Still
Next Thing
Easy Please Me
Tumbling Down
Crying For No Reason
Everything
Cure and the Cause
All My Loving
Aaliyah / What Love is Made Of
On a Mission

Perfect Stranger/Emotions
Lights On