Swimming between a multiplicity of motifs and influences, the American singer-songwriter takes the London crowd on a phenomenal Odyssey of emotions
To be quite honest, I don’t vividly remember buying tickets to see Moses Sumney. It was most likely an impulse I had off of an instagram ad, as the tickets were bought off from some website I never heard of before, but even that I cannot vividly remember. I finally cannot explain what pushed me to buy two tickets, as I could not, at the time, think of a single friend of mine that listens to Moses. But as is rarely the case with things one does not recall, those events did not come with regret - in fact, this coincidence mix led to my most heavenly of nights.
The experience continued to be full of random instances - it was on an average early September evening that I casually asked my friend Val what she was doing on October 15th. Despite it being her birthday that day (and the fact that we could not, at the time, call each other close friends), she agreed to come with me, saying that she loved his latest EP.
Fast forward - October 15th. I had only just landed in London (and so has Moses, as we later found out) and having barely stepped foot in my flat, ran back out to make it on time to EartH, where I met Val. Inside - another random instance; out of nowhere, I find myself talking to two brothers who came to see Moses directly from the Netherlands. “That’s dedication” we kept telling them. With both of them working with music in some form, their presence only made the experience more pleasant, so we sat with them.
Sat down (none of us expected to be seated, by the way - none of us had visited EartH before), we immediately spotted the musical instruments on stage. They were a pleasant surprise - first on stage was a talented saxophonist that after an improvised solo, played the triumphant, heartwarming opening melody of ‘Colouour’ from Sumney’s album græ. When Moses came on, the room filled with noise but just as quickly went silent at his first breath.
Concluding the opening act’s last melisma, Sumney began talking to the crowd - recalling his previous visits to London, making jokes. He proved himself to be genuinely witty, dedicating ‘Vintage’, a track with a mesmerizing bassline, to “everybody that came with their ex” and recalling a trip to Brixton to see a situationship when introducing ‘Whipplashed’. His clear honesty allowed us to simultaneously be real with ourselves, connecting with our most profound feelings.
This first half of the show was full of sexual innuendos; between the anecdotes and the tight dark clothing accentuating the movement of his hips, Moses took on an Usher-esque character in the red spotlight. He attempted to free the crowd from taboo as well, encouraging us to (word for word) “grind in [our] seats”. Somehow, between the sensuality and playfulness of ‘Hey girl’ it felt right - there was not an inch of discomfort in the room. If anything, Moses’ music is something to be felt. And I did exactly that. I closed my eyes, and let myself escape into his shape-shifting voice and impressionist play on sound space, until I was finally awoken by the whistles and the applause.
The second half of the performance was a stark contrast - back in a flowing dark robe, Moses’ image reminded that of a messiah. Now bathed in blue light, he opened on unaccompanied melismas, exhibiting his gospel influence and setting the tone for the upcoming collective heavy but raw emotion. Among the most memorable acts of the show was ‘Polly’ - another græ track. By that day, that song had receded so deep to the backs of my mind that I could not consciously sing along. So I closed my eyes again. Towards the latter half, a tear rolled down my cheek. The song’s repetition of “Polly, yeah” throughout its outro was significantly extended that night - and the audience sang every bit of it. Heaven had a place on EartH that night - and the singing angel was Moses.
At the concluding “Polly ooh”, Val and I stood up. We started the standing ovation movement. He recognised us for it, by the way.
In that light, he sang the tracks most meaningful to me - ‘Me in 20 Years’ , ’Quarrel’ and finally ‘Plastic’ to which Val and I, holding hands over one of the Dutch brothers sitting between us, sang along looking each other in the eye. It was no longer about feeling your own lonesome emotions - through his gentle falsetto and his lyrical openness, his vulnerability connected us through ours.
The closing song was perfectly executed - his figure gliding between the aisles with flowers covering his microphone, Moses serenaded us with ‘Doomed’. His presence filled the room - he was everywhere, his messianic voice was everywhere. Time stopped, the room went quiet. That moment was no less than soul-healing.
Before the end-act (a very touching Nina Simone cover), one of the last “strange” moments of the night was Moses throwing the flowers to me. One can only imagine the center of attention I became outside the venue - the very final strange occurrence was somebody trying to buy a flower off of me. I gave it for free. Those experiences are always better shared.
I’ll end on a seemingly paradoxical confession - I do not cry often. And yet, it was impossible to even attempt holding back that night. The show was more than an EP promotion tour- it was a beautiful contradiction (and Moses does, as he say, have quite the “inherent multiplicity” to him), between red and blue, love and lust, religion and sex, and yet it all merged into one - the deep exploration of senses.
I’m grateful for any random instance that led up to me being there. Live a Moses show, if you get the chance. Allow yourself to go to heaven.
Moses Sumney’s latest EP Sophcore is available on all streaming services.
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