Words by Zahra Hanif
Photo by Anni Cameron
There are a plethora of magical connotations associated with the 11th of November (11/11). It felt fitting then, that I found myself in the queue for songstress, and magician in her own right, Joy Crookes on that date. The singer-songwriter, hailing from South London, delivered an enchanting set to a packed out O2 Academy, breathing life into Leeds on an otherwise gloomy Tuesday night.
The night began with a supporting set from The Army The Navy. The folk-pop duo introduced the crowd to their catalogue in a soothing half-hour set. Gentle guitar strums backed songs of romance and heartbreak, a beautiful showcase from the American pair. The crowd began singing in time to their track ‘40%’, which stood out due to its interpolation of Destiny’s Child’s mega-hit ‘Say My Name’.
Between sets, anticipation built as we all waited for Crookes to grace the stage. The music began before we saw her face, and when she stepped out, it was to a mixture of rhythm and roars from the crowd.
Her set focused on her latest effort ‘Juniper’, as she played back-to-back stripped down versions of the tracks from the album. While the production and backing vocals definitely amplified the studio recording, it was astonishing to hear the album in a more organic form, as we got to appreciate her exceptional vocal range without modifications. More often than not, she sang through a smile, embodying her namesake of Joy.
Deeper cuts were sprinkled in between later hits, with “FIFA banger” ‘Feet Don’t Fail Me Now’ making the room bounce and ‘When You Were Mine’ seeing her go word-for-word with the barrier.
The most potent moment of the night came during the encore. She resurfaced alone, equipped with only her guitar, to play a cover of Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Black Boys on Mopeds’. She told us that she’d only recently integrated this into the set, but believed it was important in light of the current climate. She proclaimed “Free Palestine” to a sea of cheers before slipping into her beautiful yet harrowing rendition of the song.
Two more songs played before we spilled out of the Academy awe-inspired. While we’d just left Joy, she’d given us enough Joy to power us all the way home. She is a truly spell-binding act and an utter powerhouse.
Leave a Reply