2023/03/25 – Christine & the Queens – o2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester
Review: G. Rossington / Photos: BBC/Sherlaine Forrest.
Christine & the Queens brought the World Premier of their new album and live show to the BBC 6Music Festival at the Victoria Warehouse in Manchester on Saturday night. Debuted on a World Stage as the performance was broadcast across the BBC network on the Red Button, 6Music and various online platforms.
Not letting this pressure phase him, Chris was introduced by Stuart Maconie & Cerys Matthews and launched straight in to a rendition of ‘Ma Bien Aimee Bye Bye’ from their third record ‘Redcar Les Adorables Etoiles’. What then follows is a full 90-minute masterclass in performance art and incredible songwriting.
From the second he burst on stage, Chris had the audience captivated with a mix of theatre, dance and stunning vocals. Gone are the days of mass dancers onstage, instead, replaced with a 3-piece band causally set up at the side of stage, with the remainder left open for Chris to perform.
The bulk of the tracks tonight, well five of them, come from the recent album, the before mentioned ‘Redcar’. ‘Combien de Temps’, ‘Le Te Vois Enfin’, ‘La Chanson du Chevalier’ and ‘Les Etoiles’ join the majestic opener. From the second album ‘Chris’ we get ‘Goya Soda’, ‘Doesn’t Matter’ and ‘5 Dollars’. And from the debut album that catapulted Christine & the Queens in to the limelight; ‘Chaleur Humane’ we get ‘Saint Claude’, ‘iT’ and the rather fun ‘Tilted’. There is even time for ‘People, I’ve Been Sad’ taken from the ‘La Vita Nuova EP’.
The whole set is phenomenal. Watching Chris in such an intimate setting, it almost seems as if the performer is possessed. Incredibly intense and every routine is delicate down to the smallest detail and undoubtedly rehearsed to the point that the artist lives and breathes their onstage persona.
The whole set is phenomenal. Watching Chris in such an intimate setting, it almost seems as if the performer is possessed. Incredibly intense and every routine is delicate down to the smallest detail and undoubtedly rehearsed to the point that the artist lives and breathes their onstage persona.
The stories between tracks are vital to the narrative of the show. Chris explains before ‘Saint Claude’ that they appear to be “falling from a building and hope that everyone finds themselves in this world of uncertain chaos”. This ties in nicely with what is to come with the encore.
The stories between tracks are vital to the narrative of the show. Chris explains before ‘Saint Claude’ that they appear to be “falling from a building and hope that everyone finds themselves in this world of uncertain chaos”. This ties in nicely with what is to come with the encore.
Taking in to account the forthcoming record is titled ‘Paranoia, Angels, Truelove’ Chris appears from the darkness emblazoned with angels wings as he launches in to the debut of new song ‘Track 10’. This is followed swiftly by another debut, ‘Lick the Light Out’ (which on record will feature Madonna). Both of these show off a solemn and thoughtful introspective account of life and reflection.
The final song of the night is the live debut of the recent single ‘To Be Honest’. A gorgeous, heart breaking lament to being truthful to one’s self. Being used to a rabble rousing end to a show, it was a refreshing wake up to see someone so vulnerable on stage, performing not their biggest hit to date and still evoking a sense of wonderment and togetherness.
Quite simply, this was a stunning show and left everyone in awe of the performers on stage. Christine & the Queens have today announced a run of dates in the Autumn, and guaranteed tis will sell out and be an absolute highlight of the year. Chris is a versatile performer who throws everything in to each performance. Guaranteed that the show will never be the same each time. BBC 6 Music scored a stunning win by getting this performance, surely one to be talked about for a long time.
