“This time last year,” Jessie Ware tells a packed Islington Assembly Hall, “I was having contractions.”
The Brixton singer explains, with all the gregariousness and crowd rapport of Adele, that she and her husband had just finished watching Zootopia when those contractions began. “It’s really bizarre and wonderful that a year on, I’m playing gigs and some of the songs are about my little girl.”
For a moment, Ware doesn’t feel like a three-time Brit award-nominated star whose last two albums ended up in the top 10.
“Let’s have a little chat,” she says, as though the room is her family and not a sold-out crowd. “You’re my real fans, not the Friday ones.”
Ware’s intimate performance at the Assembly Hall, the first of a four-night, sold-out residency, aimed to introduce fans to new songs from her forthcoming album Glasshouse, while reminding us of just why she has been so successful to date.
Old staples such as Wildest Moments and Tough Love win a rapturous reception from fans who have clearly missed them, but so too do the new songs.
Elevating Ware to heights she has been touching for several years, but never quite reached, her Sade-inspired vocals are let loose to devastating effect. On Sam, Ware is accompanied by nothing more than an acoustic guitar as she sings in a style not dissimilar to Tracy Chapman’s. Lyrics, rather than elaborate pop electronica, drive the song.
Her five-piece, stripped-back band disappear into the background, bringing Ware centre stage under a dimmed spotlight. The room is silent, phones are away, and the audience captivated.
