Joy Crookes at Brixton Academy

It may be a biting cold outside, but Joy Crookes brings the warmth to the O2 Academy Brixton for the first of two sold-out shows in her hometown. Crookes is touring her most recent album, Juniper and the stage is set with a six-piece band, including decked-out keys and a synth machine, ready to bring the project to life. Personal, passionate and pumping, Crookes is an act to see.

She starts with a run of songs from Juniper, the smooth Brave, followed by the funky Pass the Salt, setting up a night of groove and shaking hips. Perfect Crime is particularly fun, with a sing-along bridge that has hands in the air and heads falling back as technicolour strobes dance along the curtains. Crookes’s music is full of story, simmering with blues influences, able to transport you to some speakeasy in New York. It is only better on a loudspeaker. Many in the room choose to enjoy the set still in their seats, gently swaying, taking it in.

Feet Don’t Fail Me Now is a hit – Crookes oozes confidence and swag, her vocals rich and distinctive. While her voice never wavers, she tells us how insane this is for her. “This is a fever dream,” she exclaims, later calling it a “core memory”. She’s certainly pulled out all the stops. One highlight was the extended outro of First Last Dance. The sparkly keys and synths with the kaleidoscope background had already earned a buzz from the crowd, and then it went dark. Rhythms of tribal drums echo as she dances, hypnotic and atmospheric.

Crookes makes a point to ensure that her show says something meaningful. She dedicates the hauntingly beautiful Forever to the people of Palestine, and you could hear a pin drop as she sang. She also covers Sinead O’Connor’s Black Boys on Mopeds. “I don’t want to sing this song,” she notes. “But it’s relevant.” Her rendition gives the audience chills.

She ends with When You Were Mine, and now everyone is on their feet. Loud and proud, Brixton sings with her. As they boogie the night away, everyone here knows that a Joy Crookes concert is a memorable one.

Talitha Stowell
Photos: Courtesy of Joy Crookes

For further information and future events, visit Joy Crookes’s website here.

Watch the video for Somebody to You here: