Albert Hall, ManchesterThe British-Japanese
Singer finally performs the debut album she released during lockdown – and it’s a triumph of satire, chaotic genre-splicing and LGBTQ+ solidarity
‘All of 2020 I spent in this position,” announces Rina Sawayama, lying flat on the stage of Manchester’s Albert Hall. But that year also saw the Japanese-British singer’s career take off vertically. Following a steady drip of acclaimed but niche avant-pop singles, debut album Sawayama was released as the world entered Covid lockdown, propelling her to cult stardom (superfan Elton John later duetted with her). Until now, it had to exist in headphones. This is the second date of her first tour in three years, and walks the line between exuberant victory lap and striking political statement.
Bathed in pink and purple lights, Sawayama is flanked by two voguing dancers and a powerhouse shredding guitarist in Vic Jamieson. The operatic high camp of opener Dynasty is a succinct manifesto for Sawayama’s sound – a potentially chaotic mezze of pop tropes that defined the charts of her early 00s childhood. That means shuffling between the gothic bombast of Evanescence and Tatu, and the glossy R&B productions of Destiny’s Child or Timbaland. Sawayama smooths over any contradictions with plenty of humour and pop hooks.