DESSA / ABY WOLF | LIVE REVIEW

DESSA / ABY WOLF | LIVE REVIEW

Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, Mon 16 Nov

“I would high-5 everyone in this room, right now, if I could!” whoops the excitable and engaging Aby Wolf, early in her performance, dramatically underestimating either the number of people in the room or her own stamina. Regardless, Clwb’s main room fills somewhat throughout her breathtaking set of blissed-out pop, with the latecomers missing both a run-through of some of the expansive, gorgeous works from her 2014 LP, Wolf Lords, as well as a sublime cover of Kate Bush’s Cloudbusting. Like an operatic Grimes, her exceptional voice soars above muscular, thudding bass synth and pounding beats, which get the enthusiastic early-comers rocking. Head lolling back, lost in tracks like Permission, Wolf looks as absolutely absorbed by her own music as everyone else in Clwb is.

She returns to the stage to provide both beats and backing vocals for hugely impressive headliner, Dessa. Best known for her work as head honcho of Midwestern hip-hop collective Doomtree, Dessa is an extraordinarily talented performer in her own right, like Jessie Ware with added hip-hop verbal dexterity, whose mastery of the small, but fervently excited crowd, is absolute. The bond between artist and audience here is Loctite-strong and while songs, like Matches to Paper Dolls from 2010’s A Badly Broken Code, are eagerly received, it feels almost as though Dessa could just stand and chat for 45 minutes and still be roared back for an encore.

Indeed, she’s a natural raconteur, who confidently charms all with stories both hilarious and touching of her time on the road with Wolf. The connection between the two is amazing, both musically – their duets are flawless – and as friends. The two could be sisters, such is their easy chemistry; at one point Dessa suffers an asthma attack and Wolf slots in seamlessly to perform another of her own tunes, while her tour-mate grabs an inhaler from her dressing room.

As Wolf chugs a whisky to the delight of the audience, Dessa yells “We’re gonna have to finish this set before Aby’s body metabolises that drink. Turn everything up 4bpm, Aby!” and the two launch into closer, Fighting Fish. Dessa invites her mum, who’s manning the merch-desk, to jump onstage and take a photo of her and Aby in the crowd, who gleefully gather round the pair. The smiles on everyone’s faces aren’t just for the camera, either: it’s a brilliant end to an immensely enjoyable and memorable evening.

words and photos HUGH RUSSELL