Walking into London's Electric Brixton, I had next to no expectation as to what kind of show Roosevelt would put on.
A brief dipping of the toe into his Spotify discography left me unable to pin down both the German's sound and how he'd present his 2023 album, Embrace live on stage.
It was to my delight, then, that the show opened on Wednesday night flanked by a drummer to his left and on his right, a pal doubling up on keys and bass. Behind the trio, providing a disco backdrop to their performance was a shimmering curtain and at the very front of the stage, a series of halved disco balls which really came into their own towards the end of the show.
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The reflective domes did their thing when lamps suddenly angled their way to in turn flood the venue with a spinning light show. Roosevelt's eclectic synth(y) layers over his crystal-clear voice and live instruments are something of a throwback, befitting of Electric Brixton's disco makeover.
We may have been watching three musicians at work but there was little doubt who the artist was that had drawn in such a packed three-tiered crowd. Standing slightly elevated from his colleagues on either side of him, Roosevelt was the closest thing I've come to watching live Mary Poppins' one man band, Bert. Hardly a song went by without the 33-year-old switching instrument from drum machine, to electric guitar, to keyboard and even a drum of his own. The talent on display was astounding.
As for the music being played, well it belongs at a sun-drenched festival stage or at the very least a big top in a field surrounded by yet more fields. But for an winter tour, I am certainly not complaining to have enjoyed the set in the warmth of a theatre. It was impossible not to smile from start to finish as Roosevelt delivered back to back uplifting tracks.
If not a summer festival, then Roosevelt screams FIFA, I'm clearly not the only one to share such a belief as a quick Google tells me the video game franchise โ renamed EAFC โ agrees. Track eight from Embrace, Fall Right In made it into this year's soundtrack. Quite how many fans were in Brixton having enjoyed what they'd heard playing football from their sofa, I couldn't tell you.
It was a while before Roosevelt took a break from singing and engaged with the crowd, in leaving it so long I failed to warm to him as a person, let alone a showman beyond the multi-talented artist he is. So when he did finally speak to the crowd, it was great to feel any barrier between him and us dissipate.
Roosevelt returns home this weekend to wrap the tour up in Germany.
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