Celeste at Union Chapel review: A spectacularly effortless voice
It’s astonishingly clear from the moment Celeste opens her mouth and starts singing that, even though I’ve been to a lot of gigs and listened to a lot of vocalists, her voice is undoubtedly one of the best I’ve ever heard live.
And what makes it so spectacular is just how effortlessly the California-born, Brighton-raised artist seems to handle it. Her voice is a multi-layered wonder — moments of velvety quiet and serene, levitating highs can so easily transform into hair-raising lung-busters — but never does she seem anything other than entirely in control.
Some singers, especially those with the foundation-shaking might of Celeste, seem like it’s their voice that has the power over them; foreheads sweating, arms wildly flailing, neck veins protruding. With Celeste, it’s the opposite. Her facial expressions are calm and focused, and her hands gently sculpt the air around her.
It’s impossible not to be transfixed by it, especially in a venue like Union Chapel, the ornate charm of which is an ideal backdrop. The eight-piece backing band are smooth and sophisticated, with short, unintrusive flourishes on horns, strings, guitar and piano.
Celeste’s success has so far felt like a slow-burn — the release of her debut album Not Your Muse in January was slightly dimmed by the gig-less world into which it arrived — but it’s hard tonight not to feel like she’s on the cusp of something bigger. This is the third night of a five-show residency, all of which have sold out (with a socially distanced crowd, of course, but you get the impression full capacity concerts would have been just as in-demand).
And though, perhaps unsurprisingly, she doesn’t play the John Lewis Christmas song she recorded last year, the bubbly groove of Stop This Flame is a reminder of her hit-making potential. Although the songwriting itself does sometimes take a backseat — her voice is hard to forget, but some of her lesser album tracks aren’t — there are some startling moments, such as with the doleful break-up ballad, Strange.
“I hope next year we can come back and fill this place,” she says at one point between songs. You certainly wouldn’t put it past her.
Until July 10, unionchapel.org.uk. Celeste: On With The Show, Live from London will be available to stream on demand from July 15 via LIVENow, live-now.com
