Music / Reviews
Review: Blood Orange, Electric Bristol – ‘Supremely talented’
Straight off the back of four sold-out nights at London’s Ally Pally, Dev Hynes – AKA Blood Orange – touched down at Electric Bristol.
He arrived following his first full-length album in six years, Essex Honey, released this August.
The album, written shortly after the death of Hynes’ mother, is a vulnerable exploration of grief and a reflection of his upbringing in Essex. Sonically, it is hazy, soft and often ambient.
is needed now More than ever
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Emerging onto the stage alone, Hynes kicked off the show with a performance of Look at You – the album’s opener – with the crowd erupting at the very first key. Halfway through the track Hynes was joined by his band and supporting singers Ian Isaiah and Eva Tolkin.
Smoothly they moved into the album’s second track Thinking Clean before Hynes delivered a completely unexpected solo cover of the Smiths’ How Soon is Now?
Lacking the brash bravado – and the needless shirtlessness – of Morrissey, Hynes delivered an effective stripped-back version of the track, his cello the only accompaniment.
Hynes stopped briefly to say hello following the track, but otherwise remained relatively muted throughout the show. He expressed happiness in being back in Bristol, having not performed in the city for as long as he could remember.
Blood Orange is the current project of Devonte Hynes, formerly known as Lightspeed Champion
With the opening moments setting the tone, the band eased into the heart of the set. Tracks from the new album were met with a gentle but genuine appreciation, especially Somewhere in Between, The Field, and my personal favourite, Countryside.
With the set stretching across Hynes’ full catalogue, a few long-loved favourites naturally found their way in. You’re Not Good Enough brought an upbeat, infectious groove, the unmistakably catchy Charcoal Baby had the room singing along and Jesus Freak Lighter sparked a raucous reaction from the crowd from the very first note.
And now moving onto the negatives.
I would like to preface this by saying that Hynes and his band are all supremely talented and their performance was truly top tier. That being said, this show was incredibly hard to enjoy.
Gig etiquette is well and truly dead. A duo of teenage girls chatted obnoxiously through almost the entire set, briefly remembering they were at a show when Champagne Coast came on – which they dutifully filmed in its entirety.
Meanwhile, a very drunk group of men by the bar treated even more mellow cuts like The Last of England like background music for their big night out.
I’m all for having a good time, but I cannot understand the thinking behind paying £30+ for a ticket to then not actually watch the artist. Your conversations about TikTok can be saved for before or after – or, if it’s truly life-or-death, the smoking area is right there.
Accordingly, there were many times where being able to focus or become immersed in the show was very tricky.
As the set drew to a close, the band wrapped things up with an ethereal performance of I Can Go before departing the stage.
Hynes reemerged solo, delivering a stripped-back rendition of Time Will Tell, a gentle grounding moment that closed the night on an understated tone.
Although the atmosphere was dented by certain pockets of the audience, the quality of the performance was never in doubt. Hynes once again reaffirmed his place as one of this generation’s most quietly compelling musicians.
All images: Josh Templeman
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