Koko, Camden
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you...”
Within the distant time of Brittany Howard’s last appearance here at the capital, her solo career has embellished and flourished exuberantly, seething with visceral psychedelic, soulful-rock influences which beseech the highs of lost love.
Through the years, Howard’s romantic endeavours have been well-documented. From her former blues-rock days during Alabama Shakes, to the untenable love of her debut solo record, Jaime, we now find her here tonight with a newer, impending sense of love on the horizon (“There’s a love waiting for me, I can feel, I can’t see, But will I know?”). The swooning, caressing vocals against the band’s hazily-spread, psychedelic backdrop proves befitting to Camden’s Koko venue; reflecting Howard’s infectious aura, it gleams and glistens in its newly restored veneer and panache.
As Howard proudly exclaims love’s arrival, (“It’s nearly there!”), the defining sounds of her latest record performed tonight, What Now, prove imminently enticing in their distinct reminiscence. The smoothened, softened vocal licks a-la Marvin Gaye and Al Green are given their inflected moments within ‘I Don’t’, fabricating a sensual, intimate environment for those onlookers, before an apt extension into ‘Stay High’ which wraps within a soulful 60’s swathing of Sam Cooke and Otis Redding.
This perpetual fracas for love surges Howard’s on-stage band into cause for action, leaping them into the fray of psychedelic rock, consumed by high-pitched guitar riffs and wailing vocals throughout ‘Red Flag’ which bear an resemblance to Prince’s illustriously love-fuelled persona. From the heart-lustful emotions here (“Don’t let it die, don’t say that it’s only love”) and ‘Prove it to You’, Howard diverges into a personal resistance against such dying love in magnanimous form - undulating with retribution at the crowd’s delight whilst the lead single ‘Power To Undo’ glorifies in buoyant fashion.
Insatiably ear-wormy vocal refrains, intricate guitar hooks and forthright backing vocals on-stage make for an impressive recital of this optimistically-bound retribution from Howard’s personal life. Garnering the ever-pronounced support of tonight’s sold-out crowd, such loyalists remain fully swayed by her charismatic and triumphant presence which finds resilience in the darkest of love's heart-wrenching moments (“You have the power to undo everything that I want but I won’t let you”).
Each band member in attendance tonight are given their due spotlight by way of extended solos; most notably from the powerful thrashing of drummer Nate Smith who provides an indelible experience preceding ‘13th Century Metal’. Howard exploits such a moment with relentlessly rallying cries of togetherness and unity (“We are brothers and sisters”) garnering a beloved aura from the crowd who remain enamoured with this holistic approach. Tonight’s concluder, ‘What Now’, ultimately triumphs as a soulful-rock momento, fuelling the audience further with self-righteous and self-loving conviction in Howard’s unrelenting determination for true love (“I ain’t sorry, if you want someone to hate then blame it on me”).
Much time may have passed since Brittany Howard’s last sighting amongst our local scene, however, tonight accentuates this artist’s undeniable presence and prowess within the current worlds of soul and psych-rock. Maturing her marked sounds which reverberate within these walls, her entourage bolsters with conviction; extending in the right moments and softening in others. Whilst some greater transgressions beyond Howard’s neatly-packaged 4-minute vignettes went amiss tonight, such artistry strikes love at its very core: fortifying retribution for those in search of true romance.
8/10
Brittany Howard's latest LP, What Now, is out now via Island Records and can be found below.
Photo is courtesy of Jade Ehlers whose work can be found here.
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