Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Bilal made his Australian debut at The Hi-Fi last Friday with the help of our very own Melbourne boys, Electric Empire.
It was surprising to see the venue not even ¼ full as Electric Empire started their set considering these home grown crooners have seen much success and a string of sold out shows both nationally and internationally.
Despite the small crowd the opening act had everyone dancing with their soulful grooves and beautiful harmonies. It is particularly interesting watching the lead vocals be shared between the four band members; each time you think it can’t get better someone pulls out a run that sends shivers down your spine.
As the boys began the title track off their EP Changin’ the room had started to fill and no one could deny the infectious energy of their blues-infused funk.
Ending the set with new single “Kicking Around” Electric Empire left everyone in the room fiending for something to dance too. Lucky for everyone, MzRizk was there to spin neo-soul classics such as D’Angelo’s “Devil’s Pie” while they waited for Bilal to hit the stage.
You could feel the excitement in the room as the full band walked on stage; fans had been waiting 12 years for this moment. The singer opened his set with “West Side Girl” off fourth studio album A Love Surreal, released only a few months ago.
For a moment it felt like the clock had turned back a year and Prince decided to perform at his not so secret show. It wasn’t just the music that was Prince-inspired, Bilal performed with a certain quality that some may call confidence, and others arrogance not dissimilar to the style of the ‘Purple Rain’ singer.
After the third song in the set “White Turns To Grey” off his unreleased album Love For Sale Bilal disappeared leaving the band to entertain the crowd with a jazzy jam session. Returning (minus a few layers of clothing) with the sexy “Sometimes” which originally got its minimalist percussion snares from The Roots’ ?uestlove.
“This was my only hit, kind of” Bilal remarked as the beat kicked in to Raphal Saadiq produced “Soul Sista” off his J Dill and Dr Dre assisted first album 1st Born Second Child. It was hard to tell who was more stoked when he followed on with “Cake & Eat It Too” off Grammy nominated Airtights Revenge with Bilal appearing to be humbled by the fact that so many people on the other side of the world were familiar with his music.
Humble Bilal didn’t last long. Despite thanking the band and giving them well deserved props for putting on such a tight show with only one rehearsal things got a bit weird when he ended his loving rant with “no homo”. A bit unnecessary. From this point on Bilal lost a lot of the crowd to his self-indulgent musings.
Despite having a flawless voice, this change in attitude changed the experience from something incredible to something almost cringe worthy. Although he ended the set with an encore of “Love it” and “All Matter” off his first and third studio albums the neo-soul vibe that drew fans to him was lost to an overly experimental and arrogant performance.
When Bilal released 1st Born Second Child he rejected being pigeon holed into the rising neo-soul genre of the time, and sadly it is this that turned such a promising and soulful night into a disappointment. Bilal’s voice is perfection; he shouldn’t let his arrogance overshadow that.
