Gig Review: SOLANGE at Metro Theatre

Image owned by @chrissy_music

Many of us struggle with sibling rivalry. As the youngest of four I believe the only way to set yourself apart is to be different. Solange Knowles emphasises this belief with every note, lyric and body roll she makes. The girl's got rhythm.

Taking to a sold out Metro Theatre on January 8th, The younger Knowles sister looked the epitome of cool with her floor length braids, green jumpsuit and killer moves. Opening with Don't Let Me Down from her most notable release True, Solange paired her soothing vocals with the hippest of dance moves which got the crowd on board right from the get-go.

The production from Dev Hynes (AKA Lightspeed Champion, Blood Orange) bled through every note of every track performed from True. Solange has long since ventured away from the pop-oriented melodies of her debut. Along with the evidently audible guidance from Hynes, she incorporates everything from jazz, funk, hip hop and soul in to her works. Her energetic delivery of these masterpieces kept her going for an hour. She greeted us with a number of hits from her 2008 album Sol-Angel & The Hadley St Dreams, semi-recent EP True and, for only the second time live, she let loose with her new single Cash In to which the crowd was incredibly receptive.

Solange is an absolute delight to watch in action. She turned the Metro into grind central with her enthusiastic encouragement for the audience to dance along with her. She also interacted with her fans, collecting gifts and flowers from those in the front row. Constantly vibing off the audience, she actually climbed down off the stage to meet them during her final song. Her synchronised dance moves with her band and frequent jokes about her sweat patches gave the opportunity to further let her easy-going nature shine through. Bey might be a diva, Solange is definitely not.

The stand out tracks from the night were T.O.N.Y and Sandcastle Disco. Both songs concluded to applause of undeniable adoration from the crowd. The inescapable rhythms along with the liveliness and moxie of the performer meant there wasn't a sweat-less brow in sight. Just as it should be.


Queen Bey? I think not. All hail Queen Sol!

Image owned by @bridgetwatt

SETLIST
Don't Let Me Down
Some Things Never Seem To Fucking Work
T.O.N.Y
Cash In
Locked In Closets
Sleep In The Park
Lovers In The Parking Lot
Losing You
Encore
Cosmic Journey
Stillness Is The Move (Dirty Projectors)
Sandcastle Disco