Crowd's energy impresses Ella Henderson and Clean Bandit at city gig
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It turns out that pushing the boundaries into pop and electronic dance goes down a treat with an Inverness crowd.
Clean Bandit and particularly Ella Henderson smashed it when it came to winning over their up-for-it audience at the Northern Meeting Park on Friday night.
But in the first of two Live In The City gigs this weekend from promoters LCC – with Rag ‘ N’ Bone Man there on Sunday – the crowd itself proved it was a bit special too.
Clean Bandit’s singer Yasmin Green called them “the best crowd ever” near the end of the headliners 18-song set, as she led the band into encore Rather Be – the first notes of it pulling a huge cheer from the audience helping to back up her ‘best crowd’ flattery.
But in Ella’s dream warm-up set with “dancers Izzy and Zaza”, it was Ella Henderson and her adrenalin-powered presence plus a set of hits and collab-bangers that sent the crowd wild that effortlessly got their energy levels up.
“Who is excited to see Clean Bandit?” she asked eight songs in after a bouncing version of 21 Reasons, her hit with DJ Nathan Dawe. She told the crowd she wanted them to join in with her next one - Glitterball - to show Clean Bandit how excited everyone was to hear them.
But you couldn’t help wondering if the heights she had brought the crowd to with her own set might have felt just a bit daunting for any headliner to match if they listened from backstage!
Anyone who only remembered Ella, who went out 6th from 2012’s X Factor, for her number one first single Ghost, the set was a wake-up call.
Her featured artist spots on a series of singles careering up the charts this year have put her firmly in the spotlight again. The set buzzed with her David Guetta collab Crazy What Love Can Do, REACT with Switch Disco and its sample from Robert Miles’ classic Children and the latest 0800 Heaven with Joel Corry.
She thanked Scotland for helping push it up the charts – and from the start, reminded us that she was half-Scottish , that “half her family” were in the crowd and when she got a selfie with the crowd we all had to smile to the words “Guan yirsel’ hen!”.
Before Ella, there was the chance for many people to discover the talents of rising singer songwriter Keir Gibson, originally from Fort William – but also now spending time in California.
His new single As Lost As Me is a subtle heartbreaker “Tell me you are just as lost as me” is the line that lingers – but the whole set was packed with an impressive catalogue of songs to create a mood and leave an impression. You can catch him at Belladrum and his own tour with an Inverness date is coming in September.
Clean Bandit and their pop/classical crossover presence has always been unique but for many still under the radar. It’s not until they roll out a set like Friday’s that you realise just how many major artists they’ve worked with – and see how they make that work without those artists in a live performance.
Exceptional voices like the two singers Yasmin Green and Kirsten Joy, helps – as did the uncredited but thanked two male urban-style dancing whirlwinds who popped up frequently.
“We’ve even got a Scottish member of the band!” they introduced “Steph” – and that will be Stephanie Benedetti, older sister of Nicola.
There may have been the odd lull in the set, but it was worked out to include many of the biggest numbers Clean Bandit made their name with – opening with Solo, Mama – originally with Ellie Goulding – saw the dancers come into their own, Symphony, then a non-stop segueway from Stephanie soloing with Vivaldi into their cover of Destiny’s Child and Survivor into Should’ve Known Better originally with Anne-Marie - everyone bellowing it out. Real Love (wth Jess Glynne) and Tears (with Louisa Johnson) – were the inevitable monsters to finish with.
“Inverness are you still here?” Yasmin asked. “YEEEESSSS! – they roared. Their reward was encore Rather Be, the ultimate big finisher.
Afterwards, LCC's Les Kidger said: "There was a little bit of rain, but the crowd was on really good form!"
