Seemingly oblivious to his imposing surroundings, Kwabs sweeps on to the stage with his arms outstretched and a face frozen with determination. Despite having only released two EPs of haunting neo-soul, the 25-year-old seems less a contender than an acknowledged heavyweight champion, looking into the eyes of the crowd and challenging them to defy him.
It’s a long way from the Royal Academy of Music, where Kwabs, aka Kwabena Sarkodee Adjepong, studied jazz and dreamed of being a songwriter. Propelled by a rich, baritone voice and a love of indie rock, he took the YouTube route to fame when a cover of James Blake’s The Wilhelm Scream won him a record deal. But as he moves, snake-hipped and lithe, to the groove-rooted title track of upcoming debut album Love and War, Kwabs looks born to be a star.
Having toured across Europe, “for what feels like a million years”, he admits, his six-strong band is tight and their sound sharp, as the slurpy, 70s bass of Lay Back is swapped for the synth-born soundscapes of Last Stand and Wrong or Right. Both songs are the result of a collaboration with super-producer – and fellow south Londoner – Sohn and their latest effort, Look Over Your Shoulder, sends Kwabs’s voice soaring to new heights. So it’s curious that, having captivated the crowd, the singer suddenly breaks the connection and disappears off stage, leaving the band to play on.
His absence is brief and his return marks the start of a selection of tasteful covers that showcase how versatile Kwabs can be. The Arctic Monkeys’ Do I Wanna Know? is sung with gospel fervour, and The Wilhelm Scream with reverence, while John Lennon’s Jealous Guy is given an acoustic makeover and a fresh frankness. Having so single-mindedly carved his own approach, new song Cheating on Me feels like a step back into old-fashioned soul but Kwabs re-establishes his new direction with the weighty triumvirate of Saved, Walk and Perfect Ruin and leaves looking every inch a winner.
