Music / Reviews
Review: Ngaio, Bristol Beacon – ‘A boom of raw, collective energy’
I resisted working on this review until the deadline had elbowed its way into my personal space: the idea of pulling words from my scrambled brain seemed too much.
But as I flicked back through clips of NGAIO’s Four Quarters EP launch on the Weston Stage at Bristol Beacon on June 6, I was reminded of how she drew us all in that night regardless of the energy we had in our tanks.
is needed now More than ever
The night started with GAROËSS on the decks, bringing a gentle bounce to our step as we arrived and were handed ’empowerment cards’ (more on these later!)
NGAIO reached the stage ready for her set, surrounded by a new age psychedelic concoction of plants, lights and aromatherapy diffuser, a welcome change from a gig’s more typical claggy stench.
She warmed up with Caramel, sweet and vibey as the title describes, then moved into introducing the night’s main feature.
Four Quarters is the outcome of two years of music production exploration. She explained wanting to take control musically, to see what she had inside her as a solo artist.
The EP explores the four elements, with Who We Are representing water and the cleansing she went through in order to speak her truth. Her vocals mixed softer Sade tones with a wilder Kate Bush punch, swirling over trancey pads.
Then the groove kicked in with a wobbling bass and audience members were already prepared to sing along with the chorus: “I won’t keep these secrets, I don’t have to hold them, I won’t.”
The fire song Baggage wrapped the crowd up with giant tropical bird wings and swooped us into a dance therapy session on a west African beach around open flames, showering down electronic Afro-futuristic beats.
In between singing “If you shake off all this baggage that they gave us,” NGAIO asked the audience to write an empowering message on the cards we received and swap them with a stranger, forging a collective experience.
Here, she really came alive, kicking into her signature DJ bop and encouraging the rest of us to follow suit as the track flowed through its instrumental chapter. We shook it off for sure.
Exploring the element of air, Hold You Down instructed us to gas ourselves up in the same way we do our best friends. NGAIO’s vocals were more vulnerable here and took centre stage, with horns flowing behind.
My skin tingled: having seen the artist live many times over the years, this was absolutely my favourite vocal performance of hers.
NGAIO weaved in her characteristic dry humour throughout. I cackled along in recognition of the desire to deliver serious anecdotes with chaotic labrador energy as she introduced her last song Goddess.
Celebrating beauty and connecting with ancestors in the final element, earth, she expressed the need for grounding and staying in tune with what our predecessors have laid down for us.
Her authentic displays of humanity made me smile; the slight clunkiness with tech at times (Ableton Push and Akai MidiMix for those interested) simply showed me that I can too, wherever I am on my creative journey.
NGAIO provided inspiration by way of a book to share positive memories, to reflect back on in protection from the inevitable post-gig emotional comedown – a state we can all relate to.
As she sang out “Goddess, rain your light on me,” beautiful souls expressively turned and swooped across the dancefloor, and the boom of raw energy bouncing between us was tangible.
I left feeling empowered, inspired and excited for what NGAIO will bring us in years to come.
All photos: Charley Williams
Read next:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
