Ego Ella May

10th March 2022

Following the release of her followup EP FIELDNOTES PT II, Ego Ella May performed two shows this March and I was lucky enough to attend her show at Lafayette. Supported by BINA., you can read my review here, the venue located in Pancras Square was the perfect place to house Ego's performance. A blend of neo-soul and jazz, Ego made her mark as one of the best the UK has to offer. Accompanied by a full band and two backing vocalists, on a stage full of candles and plants, Ego delivered one of the best intimate shows I'd seen in a while. She stepped on stage barefoot in a black dotted two piece and red lipstick.

Her band give her a warm welcome onto the stage as she opens with YoYo. Subtle smoke emerged as Ego sang under blue lights. She follows with Tonight I'm Drowning, she has a little boogie during the intro and then proceeds to sing soulfully. She has this twang in her voice that is reminiscent of Amy Winehouse. She thanks us for coming as the venue is full, she's full of joy. She gets us to give a round of applause for her band and opener, BINA. She introduces Breathe as the reminder that "you are more than enough, just simply existing. You don't need to do anything." Drumsticks count her in and a blue light shines down her while her voice, full of soul, puts the crowd in a trance. The lyrics I could just breathe, take it all in are actually something I find she does quite often seeing her perform. She'll close her eyes before her cue, dance a little and just really take everything in before she opens her mouth to sing. It's a glorious thing to witness.

She follows up with Centered, a sexier, seductive moment in the evening. The lights change as Ego clicks her fingers to the beat. It all feels incredibly grown and sexy. Her backing singers sing as she adlibs, the performance makes the show feel bigger than it is, as if it were at a bigger venue with a bigger audience yet still has a firm grip on intimacy. She seamlessly transitons into a neosoul cover of Aaliyah's Try Again, and she absolutely did Aaliyah justice. Her rendition breathes new life into this early 2000s classic.

Speck of Dust brings a beautiful harmonisation from her and her backing vocalists, and then that familiar compliment of Ego's improvisations over them questioning Why do I worry when I'm just a speck of dust? Ego asks this question again herself, solo this time, to wrap up this song in the most delightful of ways. Then she talks about her album Honey For Wounds being released "in the heat of the pandemic" and a song she wrote called How Long 'Til We're Home, about the world being fucked and "what are we gonna do?" She said that as she was rehearsing it she realised that "wow, it's the same shit" in a cutesy voice that gets a chuckle out of the audience. Hearing this song live made you feel like you were floating in limbo, stuck in the unknown yet Ego's voice felt like a warm, comforting blanket that made all the hardships in life soft again. In that moment you would never have thought there was anything bad going on in the world.

For The Both Of Us was up next, it felt a lot more stripped down, Ego's voice enchanting as ever. Her male backing vocalist's voice felt very prevalent in the harmonisation towards the end, the contrasting tones gave the song new depth. Slow Down, contrary to the name, sped things up a little bit. A song she made with Blue Lab Beats, smooth bass and vibrant drums co-occur with Ego's voice. The bluesy keys played by Amane get a solo as does the drums full of vivacity, played by Romarna. She introduces her band and backing vocalists, who are one of the best bands I've ever seen accompany an artist. Dial tones lead into Introvert Hotline. One of Ella's catchiest choruses, one of those that enjoy solitude. I'm an introvert so naturally this is one of my favourites. This record is exquisite to listen to live, with backing vocalists and Ego's magnetic performance of the chorus emulating the push and pull demand of social life. While the the lyrics are that of an introvert, the composition of the chorus makes her backing singers sound like society's encouragement to get out and socialise more whereas Ego is standing strong in her solitude in response.

Give A Little was next on the setlist, another catchy chorus that her backing singers chimed in for. Ego's hand gestures coexisting with her smooth, powerful voice evoked tranquility. Kojo had a solo that blew the audience out of the water. Her "last song" was In The Morning, it sped it things up a little, a song that made you want to dance and let go.

The stage was absent until Ego came back with Amane to perform For Those Who Left. This performance felt like a lullaby. Her voice elicited serenity while he played the keys slowly and softly. The rest of her band returned for Girls Don't Always Sing About Boys. Definitely a crowd favourite, the first couple of notes played and the crowd cheered, full of joy. This is one of Ego's most important songs, because a large part of music in the industry is about love, yet it doesn't always have to be. Ego uses her spectacular voice to shed a light on this topic. Lastly, she played Table For One, but not before thanking us for coming out. She even said she'll be at the merch table and to come and say hi! Another cheer from the crowd as she told us what her last song was. You could tell her heart was full from the way she moved on stage. The elevation of her voice during the hook was accompanied by cymbals and the audience joining in. What a fantastic finale. Truly, I could've watched her perform all night.

Lafayette was the perfect home for Ego Ella May's show. The set design, the jukebox style lighting beaming down onto the stage, everything felt in sync with her neosoul powerhouse vocals. The intimacy of the show was well suited to her performances, her voice put the audience in trance. Majority of it we spent watching her bask in the stage lights as opposed to joining in, these types of shows are ones most cherished. To just watch Ego, in awe, is the perfect way to spend an evening. And if you haven't listened to Ego before, you should start now so you're able to experience an intimate evening with the marvellous Ego Ella May.