Nilüfer Yanya

Seeing Nilüfer Yanya in concert is a bittersweet experience, because it must eventually end. Every song is so well crafted and original, it is a shame she cannot play them all.

I've had the good fortune to see her in Vancouver twice this year. First, on tour with the incredible Sharon Van Etten (show of the year, no question) and more recently headlining a tour with support from Hana Vu and her very own collaborator Jazzi Bobbi. Both times, Nilüfer left the stage leaving me euphoric and wanting more.

Starting the more recent concert series in style, Jazzi Bobbi borrowed the rest of Nilüfer's band (Ellis Dupuy and Lucy Lu), and set a great tone for the evening. Her sound differing from her bandmate's, but her energy aligning nicely.

I'm a huge fan of shows with good vibes, and Yanya brings them all night. She is so humble despite her immense talent. That, mixed with a bit of nerves, makes her interludes charming and adorable.

And the music! I have sat and listened to Miss Universe end to end, day after day. Played live, it loses none of that infectiousness or appeal. From people borderline moshing during In Your Head, to choking up during Safety Net, there is such a wide range of emotion that Nilüfer evokes through her brilliant words and musicality.

Of course she still pulls out plenty of pre-LP tracks for the party. Favourites like Baby Luv and Thanks 4 Nothing were definite crowd pleasers. Ending both sets I had the privilege to attend with Heavyweight Champion Of The Year, Yanya proves she knows how to emotionally tear us apart.

The only thing missing (besides every song she didn't play) is the clever satire of the interwoven WWay Health hotline bits. This is, of course, forgivable given the time constraints placed upon her and the magnificence of her music. One can't ever expect to have it all, but thanks to everything that Nilüfer Yanya does bring to the evening, concert going never felt so good.

Saw her last night in Bristol and sadly agree with last reviewer. She seemed very nervous considering it’s towards the end of a tour and she had little chemistry with the crowd, especially considering it’s a fairly intimate 400 capacity venue. She even said the crowd was subdued and mentioned that it was probably because it was a Monday night, but surely it’s their job to help us forget that fact.

I’ve been listening to her stuff on Spotify since her first releases and I knew her lyrics were difficult to grasp without reading them, but live virtually every line was unintelligible, even on her popular tracks. From the other comments I heard on the way out, this definitely contributed to the lack of crowd reaction/interaction because unless you’re a diehard fan and have read the lyrics, no one can understand a word she is saying, and that’s a real shame.

She has a great band and they are all extremely talented and the musicality was amazing. Sadly the very talented drummer was shoved in the far corner behind the guitarist and you couldn’t see them at all.

Now is the time to catch Nilufer Yanya. She said she was surprised at the number of people, and she was clearly genuine. The performance was fragile, like a talent emerging, so none of the dulling layers of experience that come with acclaim and repetition. At the end, they did a group bow and as they went off, she thanked the drummer for suggesting it. So, this is the precious moment where a talent is being discovered, and discovering herself. This is the time to go!

If you are very lucky, by the time you see her, she will have incorporated the spoken word parts of the album into the concert. I think the self-belief wasn't there yet, so these weren't included in the concert I saw. But these interludes are half of what makes the album very special, this social commentary about the present day, social media, hopes, fears. Very few other artists have managed to push the envelope in this way. It's great, sardonically funny, and should be in the concert.

No need for the cover of Pixies' Tame as her own songs are all stronger than her version of this track.

Having seen Nilufer Yanya in Seattle, where her and her band blew us away, I looked forward to seeing her again in London, at the Union Chapel. Where she nervously played 6 songs and 25 minutes, INCLUDING the encore. I don't know what's going on with her, but 25 minutes is not good enough. Such a shame, as I liked her and was excited about what might be more to come, but now there is no way I am going to pay £20 and the rest to see her play again. Not impressed

well, i've been to many many great and amazing shows. and i'm not even gonna lie, nilüfer yanya was one of the absolut best. an amazing voice with great singing and guitar skills. and damn, that band... amazing! especially loved the sax.
<3

That was really below my expectations.
There were no connection with the audience so she had low electricity and that’s for sure effect her performance.that was sad night for her fans.
Better to listen her in Spotify.