BONOBO is no stranger to success. Over a decade on the music scene has seen him amass a big fan-base, awards and a host of positive reviews from critics. Just lately, though he seems to have broken out to a wider audience, with fans of all genres suddenly taking an interest.
A sold-out Edinburgh Picture House confirmed just that on Thursday night, with the many fans cramming to get a little closer to the action.
Opening with Cirrus, the single from the fifth studio album The North Borders, Bonobo initially took to the stage alone. The rest of the ten-piece ensemble gradually came out to join him, showcasing a vast array of sounds.
The use of a string section, horns, guitar, drums, bass, decks and vocals are all combined to re-create the studio material, transforming it into a captivating live sound. This is not a new idea among electronic artists, as many others have utilised the use of instruments to add another dynamic to the live shows, but there are certainly few at the moment that do it better than Bonobo. The band are tight and well-rehearsed, the songs flowing together with precision.
Bonobo is known for eking out talented vocalists to perform his songs, and he seems to have discovered another gem in Szjerdene. Appearing after the first two songs to sing the track Towers, she added a lilting and graceful mood to the proceedings.
Playing through material mostly from his latest two albums – only three tracks were from his 2006 album and none earlier – the set carried Bonobo’s style of mixing contemporary electronica with jazz and blues. The pace was always chilled, but at times the crowd really responded to some of the bigger beats being laid down.
Heaven for a Sinner was a stand-out track. Off the new album and originally sung by Eryka Badu, it really built up nicely. Emkay also received a good reaction, the more electronic sound roping the audience in with its repetition and steady beat.
The set – similar to the music – kept flowing with a nice mix of tempos until the song El Toro, where they really mixed it up. Breaking the song right down in the middle, all the members faded from the stage leaving just the drummer, who powered out an intense solo. The saxophonist came out next and after belting out a superb individual blues solo he continued on playing to a huge bass beat that made the hair on your head shake.
Afterwards the band all jumped back in with the crowd still pumped, and delivered another two songs from the new album – Transits and Know You– before saying their goodbyes. Closing the set there was not going to be an option for Bonobo though, with the crowd demanding more. The encore was slower paced, but it worked, providing a nice ending to the show that eased out.
Bonobo still has many more dates to play on the tour, but with a show like this he’s going to leave audiences bristling for more of his melodic and utterly engaging performance.
By Thomas Brent
