Recipes Used:
This one has some background in two ways.
First, is the artist. I've been a fan of R&B fusion artist NAO ever since her debut album released nearly a decade ago. That debut album in "For All We Know" was so good, I was willing to trek to Leeds to see her. (Big ups Monesha, hope you're well.)
But I didn't do that once, I did it again when her sophomore effort "Saturn" came out a few years after.
This tour is her latest one since then – two more albums dropped in that span – and I obviously became a Photographer since then. So to be taking photos of NAO, keeping up my streak of seeing her tour shows means a lot to me.
The 2nd way… Is the location. If you go ALL the way back to my 2nd post, you'll catch a moment of me being pissed of that I couldn't take my camera into the o2 Institute in Birmingham. A week after that, I tried to do the same in Brixton and got the same treatment.
So I said to myself that I wouldn't go to any o2 spot off the back of it. Funny enough, that could have been the last moment for me in the Academy because it has been shut for the past year.
But luckily, the location survived and with an absurd amount of security on hand, walking the whole block, getting searched, going to the Box Office to get my pass… LEAVING to go back around to the stage door, I finally made it back in.
The first support was Nectar Woode, who I was unfortunately late for.
I’m so miffed that all the hullabaloo preceding made me late for Nectar Woode. I hope to get another chance to cover her one day. She was one of my favourite discoveries of last year.
Next was Sienna Spiro who I was unfamiliar with but the photos came out great.
Lastly was the woman herself.
The whole night restricted me to three songs per artist which can be worked with but without that time to indulge and experiment, I only focused on NAO herself for the most part.
I also wanted to use my new lens but I needed to mess with the settings to get it to work how I wanted so the trusty 35 it was!
Splitting her set into the three songs, she began with some picturesque fan work.
Next I brought some monochrome in because you know I got to jump back and forth!
I’m glad I got something whilst she was in the pit with us. As you can imagine it was a mad-dash for space. She also threw flower petals at a point which I didn’t get unfortunately.
After the three songs, we got shepherded out SWIFTLY. Out in a minute like we’re the drunk person in the bar that’s had their last drink.
I was able to stay for the rest of the show – after I got escorted out the stage door, go back to the main entrance, get searched again, have my camera ironically taken again – and the show was great. I’m more into her older work but it was good to hear “Light Years” live. When she wants to, she can be transcendent.
Overall this was a beautiful moment in my personal journey and I’d be fine with never covering a show there again.
Charlie Taylor
chillicharlie.taylor@gmail.com
Born in Camden, North London.
Bred in Leigh-On-Sea, Essex.
Screenwriter/Podcaster/Photographer/
Hip-Hop Student.