Live Review
Ibeyi
The Louisiana, Bristol
February 18 2015
Words/Photos: Pollyanna Sheehan
Ibeyi are a French-Cuban duo consisting of the twin sisters Lisa-Kiandé and Naomi Diaz. They were signed to XL Recordings in 2013 and their eponymous debut was released this past Monday - two days prior to their sold-out show at Bristol’s historic Louisiana. The unique name Ibeyi translates as ‘twins’ in the Yoruba language, which was imported into Cuba with slavery in the 1700s. The Yoruba culture and language holds an important influence over the sisters’ sound: Naomi plays two traditional percussive instruments, the Cajon and the Batas, whilst Lisa plays the piano. Together, the sisters combine chants in Yoruba and English melodies to create their distinctive and mystifying sound that has a compelling electronic/grunge edge.
Starting their hour-long set with the beautifully lyrical and upbeat ‘Ghosts’, Ibeyi displayed the key features that continued throughout, including rhythmic drumming, lilting piano chord interjections and wistful vocal harmonies. The absence of other band members and minimal production in the form of deep blue lighting created an atmosphere of intrigue for Ibeyi. Early on in the set, the crowd was treated to a powerful performance of the emotionally evocative ‘Mama Says’. This track perfectly highlights the sisters’ impressive ability to fuse simplistic minimalist drum rhythms with block piano chords to create a truly haunting ballad.
Throughout, the sisters were keen to express and share the importance of the Yoruba language and the cultural context behind the titles of some of the tracks they performed, such as ‘Eleggua’, ‘Ganyura’ and ‘Yanira’. In an attempt to demystify the essence of Ibeyi, these stories only seemed to increase the intrigue as the crowd attentively listened to the sisters’ stories. What followed an explanation of the significance of ‘Eleggua’ was a delightful, albeit short, perfectly harmonized a cappella interlude, which was met with great applause.
Following this, the crowd was invited to participate as the sisters continued through their set giving an outstanding performance of ‘River’ and ‘Oya’ - both of which were highlights of the night and surprisingly well known by the audience, which helped the duo give energetic performances. ‘Oya’ is a track that encompasses what the duo is about; it features incredible lower harmonies, prominent drumming and piano presence. In addition, this track carries with it the unmistakably haunting undertones that were unshakeable even after their set, and that evolve when listening to their debut.
Thanking the crowd, the sisters launched into their final song ‘Yanira’ which seemed both enjoyable for them to perform and for the crowd to watch. Excitable clapping and attempted singing followed - regardless of familiarity with the lyrics - as the sisters made their way off stage and ended a mesmerizing performance. Hopefully, future performances by Ibeyi will feature more live aspects of their music, such as added backing-singers or live electronic production, all of which would add to the production and only enhance their set.
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