“I love you so much,” Biig Piig professes breathlessly in her lilting Cork accent before going onto say: “Manchester energy is unmatched.” The packed-out crowd roars its reciprocation as the lights dim once again and the next song starts playing to cheers and whoops of recognition.
Biig Piig, or Jessica Smyth as she is otherwise known, played the Manchester leg of her European tour at New Century Hall. The tour is primarily to celebrate and to promote the release of her debut album 11:11, which has arrived almost a decade after her breakout hit ‘Vice City’, released by Smyth as a teenager.
Aside from the clear mutual affection that the audience and the artist shared with each other, what stood out from this gig was how it kept one guessing and speculating. The concert was one of stark contrasts between songs in style, lyrical content and mood.
One such example was the transition from ‘Picking Up’ to ‘In the Dark’. The former is a euphoric, heavily-autotuned drum and bass number with such lyrics as “I need something to give me serotonin” and “I’d die for a fix.” The latter is a moodier track with strummed clean-sounding electric guitar at the forefront with a steady rock beat on the drums. The chorus ethereally states “I’m dancing to forget you”.
Although the eclectic nature of the setlist verged on randomness at times, the sonic journey it took the audience on was thoroughly enjoyable.
The highlight of the night came when Smyth and her two-piece band performed ‘Roses and Gold’, a laid-back, easy-grooving track on which she switches between Spanish and English as effortlessly as she switches between rapping and singing. Her superbly talented multi-instrumentalist bassist stole the show with a saxophone solo that elicited one of the biggest reactions of the night.
What carried the show was Smyth’s raw and untrammelled enthusiasm and crowd work. Whether this was in the way she danced as if she was alone in a busy nightclub or crouched down and reaching out to touch the crowd’s outstretched hands, she commanded attention superbly.
Ending on ‘Kerosene’ was an inspired decision, the clubland-inspired song energising the entire building with a neon pink colour scheme and strobe lights to match. The satisfied hum of the dissipating crowd at the conclusion of the gig left no doubt that the love Biig Piig feels for Manchester is mutual.
Featured Image Credit: Mark Kelly www.live-manchester.co.uk @markwiththecamera
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