Dance music usually belongs in a dimly lit club or throbbing festival tent rather than the Royal Albert Hall. But LA-based, British producer Simon Green, better known as Bonobo, is playing a five-night residency at the prestigious venue following a run of chart success.
Where some dance acts rely on shuddering volume and relentless beats to pummel the audience into submission, the Grammy-nominated Green was accompanied by a string section and full band including musicians on trombone, drums, trumpet and flute.
Emerging to cheers on this opening night, he stood slightly elevated behind various consoles and manipulated the barrage of electronic sounds, while occasionally grappling with a bass guitar. A giant screen above the stage showing a calming coastal scene was soundtracked by glistening grooves and meditative music that wouldn’t have been out of place on a yoga retreat.
There were teasing hints of clattering rhythms as vocalist Nicole Miglis sang over the shimmering synths of From You from the recent top five Bonobo album Fragments. Yet this was a largely becalmed introduction, even as the band seasoned sleepy tune Shadows with elements of jazz, funk and deep house.
When the cracking beats collided with the surging brass on Kiara from the classic 2010 album Black Sands, however, the audience immediately understood the signal to get out of their seats.
With the stage awash with dry ice and green lighting, the performance rapidly gained momentum as the Royal Albert Hall turned into a rave with fans holding their arms aloft. Green took to bashing a drum pad during the more belligerent tunes. Even at its most energetic, though, there remained lush textures and intricate instrumentation on favourites such as the beguiling Cirrus.
“I’ve been looking forward to these shows for a long time,” said Green, who seemed genuinely thrilled to be playing his first gig in the capital in four years. While the audience craved more Bonobo bangers, he sensibly paced himself and the band by bringing out Miglis and fellow guest vocalist Jamila Woods, who was accompanied by sweeping strings on trip-hop throwback Tides.
The high point came with the new tune Otomo, which featured a sample of a beatific Bulgarian choir as a contrast to the track’s almighty bass drop - a crowd-pleasing finale that was always going to be impossible to top.
Bonobo and the band did return for an encore, although self-indulgence sneaked in with at least one drum solo too many.
Overall, though, Green elevated his immersive club sounds with emotional heft from the trusted team of supremely talented musicians and vocalists. Bonobo and his band were at the peak of their powers in this iconic venue.
