“I’ve seen some excellent shows here,” Michael Kiwanuka told a sell-out Eventim Apollo audience halfway through his set, right before playing ‘Home Again’, the song he wouldn’t be on this stage without.
“I’m pumped. As pumped as can be, as you can imagine. I promise I’m pumped.” Joshing about his reserved nature, it was one of just a handful of interactions throughout the night.
Fans of Kiwanuka’ will know however, that he has never been particularly concerned with showmanship or cultivating a prominent media presence. He’s only ever let his music do the proverbial talking.
He harks back to a bygone era, when records (or the radio) provided a mysterious gateway to the artist, and were largely the only means of hearing an artist’s voice.
Unphased by the trappings of fame, Michael prefers to keep it that way – drawing comparisons with one of his heroes in Bill Withers – trading life in his native London for Southampton where there are fewer distractions from raising his family.
It’s precisely why this performance feels particularly special.
Despite the venue’s ornate interior and sprawling seating circles, intimacy was clearly today’s brief. Blood red velvet curtains draped either side of the stage and warmly lit lamps dotted around like a relaxed living room display.
Kiwanuka was making himself comfortable on this storied stage. The only thing missing was a conversation pit – and maybe a tumbler of barrel-aged whiskey to cradle.
Backed by a ten-piece ensemble made up of backing singers, a cellist, a violinist, as well as the usual suspects in a band – who were showcased moments of virtuosity in their own field as the night rolled on, particularly singer Emily Holligan who earned an ovation during ‘Rule The World’ – Kiwanuka swayed into ‘The Rest Of Me’ and ‘One More Night’.
The sound architecture was rich and sumptuous when required, but fizzed with street strutting swagger on the Fela Kuti-indebted ‘Black Man In A White World’ and ‘You Ain’t The Problem’ from 2019’s superb KIWANUKA, like feeling the hiss of hot pavement on the soles of your bare feet in the oppressive summer heat.
His vocals – as to be expected – were immaculate, his breathing provided the only differentiation from the recordings, devastatingly employing every emotive creak and crackle. Particularly on ‘Solid Ground’, arguably the evening’s highlight, when the entire venue flooded in scarlet red light as Kiwanuka bared his soul amid the performance’s breathtaking drama.
Kiwanuka’s music is from the heart – it’s soul music by its very definition. But his collaborations with producers Danger Mouse and Inflo – working on three albums together, the most recent being 2024’s Small Changes which understandably make up the bulk of songs on the night – have certainly elevated his work.
With each album, Kiwanuka has embraced his soul music heritage, blending sonic psychedelia and grandiose orchestration together with the artist’s understatedly anthemic songwriting that tackles his Black experience, ancestry, and the loves in his life.
The imagery transmitted through the central screen purposefully evoked these bloodlines, family bonds, being nurtured by community, and respecting legacy – something Kiwanuka clearly holds dear.
Every possible iota of spectacle was wrung out of his song’s ruminative arrangements: ‘Floating Parade’ soared into the clouds; ‘Lowdown (part i)’ and ‘Lowdown (part ii)’ swirled around it’s David Gilmour-esque lead guitar work; ‘Small Changes’ saw guitarist Michael Jablonka shredding on his knees as the luxurious jam unfolded.
When the curtain call came after an encore of ‘Cold Little Heart’, the entire audience were on their knees in awe too.
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