Kelela Review: A Mystic Club-Fuelled Legacy Solidified

O2 Academy Brixton, London

A daring, mystical exposition from the dance-pop star besieges Brixton; compounded by a crowd hungry for our modern dance scene.

R&B-pop sensation Kelela returned to familiar ground in London following the release of New Avatar, one of the year’s most enticing dance-pop records. Clad in all-black leather and dark sunglasses, with an almost mystic sense of presence, she moved between songs old and new, the latter emerging as the evening’s standouts: punchier, more daring and emotionally exposing, with a more fully realised sense of their place within the contemporary dance landscape. That influence was brought to life in Brixton’s familiar stomping ground, a formidable backing band adding fresh depth and dynamism to the arrangements, while Kelela remained effortlessly front and centre throughout.

A rare cameo from A.K. Paul on guitar provided an added highlight, but it was a moment of inspired crossover in the second half that perhaps best captured the evening’s spirit. A cover of Massive Attack’s ‘Teardrop’, seamlessly woven into ‘The High’, offered an indelible meeting of generations, underlining Kelela’s natural ability to move between dancefloor-ready production and more atmospheric, leftfield territory without ever losing her identity.

It’s this very fluidity that places Kelela in an increasingly prominent realm of forward-thinking, pop-focused dance music: an artist drawing from the past while continually stretching the possibilities of what comes next. Across a catalogue that refuses to settle, her willingness to expose, reconstruct and reassert herself burns an increasingly distinctive legacy – one in which personal expression and fearless experimentation remain inseparable from the music itself.

7.5/10

Photo is courtesy of Yasmin Huseyin whose work can be found here.

Kelela's latest LP, New Avatar, is out now via Warp Records - listen below.