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Mind this one, because she’s going great guns
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April 22nd, 2013
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Nabiha ***** (5 stars out of 6); April 18 at Store Vega
On Thursday night, Store Vega was filled with an exquisite sound when the Danish/west-African singer Nabiha took the stage, accompanied by a host of musicians and a choir with tambourine in hand. Her luscious voice and pop-soul blend gave me goose bumps when she started out with ‘Sound of My Gun’ from her second album More Cracks. ‘Transition’, from her latest album Mind the Gap, followed the first stunning performance. Nabiha explained that the inspiration for this record title came from the unavoidably constant reminder in the London metro to “please mind the gap”, and also pointed out that it describes the gap between her front teeth.
She then shifted smoothly to her first album Cracks, with songs like ‘Cracks in the Concrete’, ‘You’ and the popular hit ‘Deep Sleep’, turning the venue in to a ‘90s dance club with hip-shaking girls and head-bopping boys.
‘Mind the Gap’ was the last number before the cheering audience was left clapping, whistling and stomping on the ground, calling for an encore. I didn’t think that the show could get any better, but Nabiha wasn’t one to let anyone down that night – and she definitely proved me wrong. It did, in fact, get even better when she showed up singing a breathtaking a cappella version of ‘2-3-4’, which she explained was the song that started her career. This beautiful song really did her voice justice. Her last number, ‘The Enemy’, finished off an overall astonishing concert.
The show was so invigorating that my cheeks were hurting from smiling and my hands were sore from clapping by the time I left. Nabiha’s energy was mesmerising and contagious, and she took the whole audience to another worriless, fun world away from the depressing Danish weather.
Nabiha is not known for writing Taylor Swift-like songs about boyfriends and breakups. Instead, here’s a woman who knows her true value and how to appreciate life and spin it into catchy pop songs. Her positive attitude shone through onstage, and she seemed to enjoy performing as much as the crowd enjoyed watching her. She seemed completely real and sweet, and even asked for a spotlight on her audience, so she could see them better, making no secret of how proud she was to play a sold-out concert at Store Vega. At the end of the show, the singer even asked for a group picture with the audience.
After this concert, I left liking Nabiha even more – not only as an artist, but also as a person. The only thing I can put my finger on that was a disappointment about this concert? That it ended!
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