Lianne La Havas 04.05.12

Marques Toliver is one of few fortunate enough people to be inhumanely talented but keep his effortless finesse. He plays through a set at Trinity that showcases his insane ability to perfectly pluck a violin and maintain a pitch perfect vocal of songs that have a rustic but polished quality. His entire look and sound is very fetching with water coloured tote bags hanging off the merchandise stand and songs that could soundtrack the ideal sunlit afternoon but this isn’t a bad thing. Tracks like the hypnotic ‘White Sails’ bounce along and are carried by Toliver’s timeless tones. His booking on this tour is extremely appropriate. Like La Havas, Toliver plays music that is infectious, wonderfully written and catchy but has a slight air of sophistication about it making it all the more thrilling.

Often when artists thank a crowd it’s hard to buy. When Chris Martin puts his hand on his heart for the 300th arena show or when Nicki Minaj retweets some poor blogger to display her love, there is a slight element of doubt. Lianne La Havas is either an incredibly grateful and honest musician who is happy to be paddling in the pool of the mainstream or is just amazing at pretending. She opens with ‘No Room For Doubt’ and it sets a standard for a show packed out with songs from her EPs and upcoming debut LP which are products of purity and perfection. Numbers like exquisite songs and can sing them to perfection. Numbers like ‘Gone’ and ‘Tease Me’ showcase Lianne’s smokey tone and husky stylings but her lyricism and on stage banter about ex-boyfriends shows she isn’t just an artist to have bubbling in the background. Her voice carries an angst, an aggression “What the heck man, last time I checked man, we had it all” she belts on ‘Gone’. After each track she endearingly shells up and grins at the rapturous applause from the Trinity crowd.

She goes on to play more silky soul numbers like ‘Liar’ and the phenomenal closer ‘Is Your Love Big Enough’ and Lianne La Havas manages to pull a crowd who are largely made up of curious spectators with an ear for who’s getting buzz in to another instrument backing her up on the anthemic hook, “Is you love big enough”. As Lianne pulls out her phone to photograph the crowd this 20-nothing year old comes across as the ultimate likable musician. The place that her music springs from isn’t especially urban or broken. She doesn’t sport a rough background or desperate need for music. She is just a young lady who can write exquisite songs and can sing them to perfection. Lianne La Havas is so grateful for her fan base because they have all, in a way, found her. With a voice like her’s, can you blame them?

Duncan Harrison