Mereba

15th March 2022

Following her support act at Masego, who's concert review you can read here, Mereba performed a solo show at Lafayette. She was supported by Ego Ella May, who I had the pleasure of seeing at the same venue the week before, rather than doing a separate review of that I'd encourage you to read my review of her show here instead. This truly felt like a full circle moment. Mereba's music really complemented the stage at Lafayette. The set design they have there is definitely the best in London. She was accompanied by a guitarist and bassist. They awaited Mereba while on the rocks played before she entered the stage in black leather trousers, a red mesh custom Jared Lamar top that had beautiful sleeves of red mesh strips on both sides.

She launched into Aye, met by cheers from the crowd. When Mereba raps, it truly feels like it comes naturally to her. A lot of singers who also rap often execute it in a way where it's evident it's something that they learned how to do much later in their journey as an artist, but with Mereba that is never the case. Lights shine down on her as the crowd screams for her. She puts on an electric guitar before moving on to Kinfolk. Under the Lafayette disco ball, her voice full of emotion brushes the smooth guitar. We join in on the chorus as red-orange lights reflect off the red mesh she's wearing.

Planet U, a crowd favourite, has Mereba returning the guitar to the stand to pour her heart out centre stage. Mereba's flow really reminds me of J.I.D. and other talent housed at Dreamville. She introduces Stay Tru as a song her bassist Chris had produced as an ode to his mother, she asked if she could repurpose and thus it became Stay True. Red lights spotlighted Mereba and lit up her outfit, the red mesh becoming more vibrant as she sang in a way that brought peace to the audience, beautiful and calming. Yet we still went hard for the chorus. The lights turned shades of green, enhancing the plants on stage. Mereba hit some impressive, ascending notes to finish the song. She sits down on a bar stool, guitar in tow, discussing how she rarely performs this song as it's so emotional and how she's learnt the word "roadman" while in the UK and that "this is about that!" As she announces that she'll be singing Bet next, the crowd goes wild. Emotions are high in the room as she performs this tearjerker, and at one point I really couldn't tell if it were tears welling up in her eyes or the reflection of her gold eyeshadow. Mereba's voice wrapped the whole room up in her feelings.

Dodging The Devil transported us to the world of spoken word. It felt so intimate, a moment where nearly the whole crowd went quiet, eyes and hearts fixed on Mereba. Lots of clicking erupted before a fan finished the piece for her, it caught Mereba off guard and I wasn't sure if she was irritated by it but she played it off and motioned to the fan if she wanted to take the mic. She played it off quite well, truly though I would've loved to have heard Mereba finish the piece with no interruptions. She takes back the guitar for Heatwave, a song that discusses police brutality. Red lights back on Mereba this time that elevate the sense of danger this song discusses. The song is so powerful and truly sheds light on the reality of the topic, to experience it live felt like an honour.

Mereba brings out CKTRL for zero, who side note, I'm seeing in April and it truly adds to that full circle moment I mentioned earlier. His eyes are closed the entire performance as he plays the saxophone that washes a wave of tranquility over the audience. Mereba's voice enriches the song that carries you into another realm. The next song she describes as a song she wrote on the floor of her living room, thinking about "how to keep the light on." Go(l)d commences, her enrapturing voice envelops the room in reassurance and comfort. Rider gets the crowd moving as Mereba sways her hips by the mic stand, she sinks to the floor and bounces right before the chorus. A definite crowd favourite, she dances and the crowd cheers. She performs Beretta that she dedicates to her child, that she didn't write it that way but when she sings it that's what she thinks about. An ode to anyone you love deeply, Beretta makes you want to hold your loved ones close and her performance definitely embodied that feeling. She belts out wonderful high notes to end the song. Next we have Highway 10, a song she wrote "before [she] knew she was entering a jungle" in reference to her debut. Mereba navigated the bounce of the beat perfectly.

Sandstorm lead Mereba to begin to play the keyboard under the greenery of the set design. She was really in her element while we filled in for JID. To witness this song live feels like I ticked something off my bucket list, a song I've had on repeat since I've found it. Then she performs Black Truck, that she dedicates to her father, "the ultimate hustler, who made a life for all of us." She definitely made him proud with the performance she gave us. "Don't be shy with the falsetto!" she exclaims as we're singing along. I'm not sorry, the crowd sings, a lyric that alleviates all the weight anyone in the crowd is holding off their shoulders. Her rapping is just as impressive as her singing. Her guitarist Sam, plays us a wicked solo as she leaves the stage.

Upon her return, the crowd cheers, she hops up on the bar stool, guitar in hand. She performs Go To London, what a fitting show to perform it at. Once again, emotions are at a high. Mereba truly feels everything she performs and it shows in her performance. Every high note she sings could make a tear well up in your eye. Her last song, My One, leaves us on a high. She's dancing, we're dancing, we all feel "real free." She instructs to let go and dance "in the name of our passion" and that's exactly what ensues. Lights flash and the crowd is moving, the feeling of letting go feels exhilarating. Chris even breaks out a violin.

I have absolutely no regrets buying a ticket for Mereba's solo show, despite having seen her a couple days prior. Her support set gave me a preview and the full feature length film was absolutely a 10/10. The dreamiest of shows, an ethereal experience that brought peace and tranquility to Lafayette. Mereba is set to return to the UK for Cross The Tracks in June, make sure you catch her set, you won't want to miss it.