It has been a long time since I’ve been as excited and curious about going to a live show as I was about see Faye Meana last Thursday down at The Islington. My first experience of hearing Faye Meana was through word of mouth, something that doesn’t happen too often in this social media driven world. Her visual for ‘Patience’ made it clear that there was potential in abundance. Rather than going on the streaming sites to listen to the records in advance, I thought I’d wait until the live experience to hear the music.

As someone who recently has been to a whole load of live shows from huge capacities to smaller venues, I was happy with the venue choice as it guaranteed an intimate show. Performing with a live band, who were excellent, it was clear from the opening song ‘Move On’ we were witnessing someone who can make it extremely far in this industry. The chemistry of Faye and the band was evident when they performed a cover of Erykah Badu’s ‘Otherside of the Game’.

The show really stepped up after Faye performed Snoh Aalegra’s hit ‘Fool For You’, which was followed by, arguably the audiences favourite record ‘Get Back To Us’ which was even demanded by the crowd to be performed again as an encore. When Faye performed ‘Now You See’ the star quality was clear for all to see.

My personal favourite was the performance of a record that is not yet released ‘In The Evening’ which has all the potential, when released, to take Faye to new heights. The band really excelled at this point. ‘Patience’ was the last track on the set list and it was the perfect way to cap off the night. It didn’t stop there, however, as the crowd demanded one more song, in which case Faye and the band performed ‘Get Back To Us’ yet again. This time round it felt like a celebration, the whole room was captivated, in a way feeling privileged to see a star before the masses. Faye’s on stage presence was clear, she was in her element, making the performance feel very personal in the way she navigated the crowd, her eye contact with the crowd spoke volumes of her confidence.

Overall it was one of those nights where you know you witnessed a star who is very early in their journey but who will be around for some time, growing from strength to strength. Since the show all the music has been on repeat and it was definitely the most memorable show I’ve been to in 2018.

Watch the official video for ‘Patience’ below

Faye Meana @ The Islington - 8th November