Solange Knowles took to Twitter recently to complain about indie-loving critics who rave about R&B artists such as Frank Ocean without sufficient knowledge of the form. Given that her current wingman is Domino Records artist Dev Hynes, that she is signed to a label run by a member of Grizzly Bear and that her first UK show in four years is in a venue that resembles a hipster holding pen, you might say she protests too much. Whatever her reservations about being the indie world's new favourite R&B starlet, this reinvention has at last enabled Solange to escape the shadow of her older sister. (She's called Beyoncé – you may have heard of her.)
Eight years ago, Solange was a fresh-faced teen while Hynes was in the dance-punk band Test Icicles; their current alliance is as fruitful as it is unlikely. The pair clearly have chemistry, sharing vocals on a couple of songs and performing some deadpan formation dancing. As guitarist, bandleader, co-writer and producer, Hynes has helped Solange find a distinctive sound: bittersweet, 80s-influenced soul, redolent at various points of Compass Point studios, early Madonna and even the spooky MOR of the Cars' Drive.
Solange shares her sibling's uncanny poise and good looks, framed by a neat afro that glows purple and red under the lights, but her voice is more understated and melancholic, drawing out the vulnerability in songs such as Bad Girls and Lovers in the Parking Lot. Such a subtle, midtempo approach could potentially drag, but Solange is an engaging presence, and the good will among the audience is palpable. She looks genuinely delighted when, to her evident surprise, some people know the words to her early single Crush.
She saves her liveliest songs for last, with a one-two punch of the dreamy break-up tune Losing You and the joyous Motown bounce of Sandcastle Disco. "I have one request," she says before Losing You. "That when we play this song you lose your fucking minds and dance." The crowd gleefully oblige.
• What have you been to see lately? Tell us about it on Twitter using #GdnGig
