The Noisettes at Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Absolutely mind-blowing gig! As written for Spoonfed:

Let it be known that there’s a reason The Noisettes are named as they are. Forming in 2003 – Shingai (singer & bass), Dan (guitar) and Jamie (drums) – have been causing an almighty scene since their meeting at the Brit School. You may remember them from their infectious track ‘Don’t Upset The Rhythm (Go Baby Go)’, which was picked up for a Mazda 2 advert, and also crippled the charts this spring with heavy airplay, reaching the #2 chart spot.

Bringing an electro-hiphop vibe reminiscent of Santogold to proceedings is sassy South London hottie MPHO, an artist in her own right who is fast gaining recognition on this hybrid scene. Her tracks ‘Box N Locks’ and most recognisably ‘Fix Ya Face’ embody an unapologetic feisty attitude, combining singing with a Miss Dynamite-esque rapping. She even kindly offers an explanation of what a screw face gal is, for those needing to brush up on their saaf London slang. The crowd is pretty pumped, a mixture of bopping teenagers with a side portion of curious faced thirty-somethings.

As per usual the crowd are made to wait. Drummer, check. Guitarist, check. Backing singers, check. Shingai? Shingai, anyone? A moment of panic sweeps across the crowd, furrowed brows all around. Until a series of sharp gasps sweeps across the audience, heads raised and admittedly it takes me a while to work out what’s happening here. I spot a lady up on the balcony, thick ‘fro, the finest smooth legs, glitzy dress and a mic in hand. One leg over the side of the barrier, her pearly whites flash the crowd. Shingai has arrived.

Not one to do things by halves, Shingai is the very embodiment of versatility. Petite in frame with a highly recognisable ‘fro (complete with fruit tonight), Shingai’s energy is incomparable to other front women. After serenading the crowd from the balconies she bounds down the stairs, zooming across the stage with intense speed. Dressed in a killer black and red sparkly number, there’s no need for a crowd warm up – her energy is highly contagious. The title track to their album, ‘Wild Young Hearts’, complete with audience participation clapping, fires up the crowd nicely and Shingai looks like she’s hopping on hot coals – she seems to find it difficult to stay still.

The Noisettes are hard to pin down genre-wise. ‘Don’t Upset The Rhythm’ has an identifiably upbeat indie-rock feel. ‘Never Forget You’ finds Shingai’s voice suddenly age, producing a softer, bluesy feel as she crows ‘What ya drinking, rum or whiskey?’ Their style is genre busting and this is due not only to the group’s versatility, but also Shingai’s vocal range and energy. Whether she’s using the stage as her playground, the balcony to serenade, or even when she’s in the crowd, she commands attention, delivering a flawless high-energy performance, all the while backed by the band. And it wouldn’t be right to not mention the band – Dan plays guitar with his teeth, Jamie is lost in a fury on the drums, the backing dancers bump and grind and I’m sure I’ve spotted a few violinists and a celloist. Oh look, another costume change. Wonderful.

Tonight’s show is being filmed for a tribute to The Carpenters and their bands interpretation of the tragic track ‘Goodbye To Love’ is heartwarming and hopeful – difficult considering the song. Finishing with a T-Rex cover, it’s not long before the crowd are chanting in unison ‘you won’t fool children of the revolution’, before Shingai and her noisy troops shrink away, leaving a trail of silence as they go…