Fresh from a mobbing by photo-hungry groupies outside the male toilets, Sam Sparro finally emerged onstage at a sweaty packedout Night and Day donning his questionable trademark white wayfarers and kaftan.
Appearances can be deceptive and the Australian-born 25-year old could be perceived to be a little gimmicky. Perhaps his management want him to appeal to the neo-rave Camden kids, but behind the glasses stands a performer who has bags of stage presence – underpinned by a vocal prowess praised by non other than Chaka Khan.
Opening with the pulsating Daft Punk-esque title track to debut set “21st Century Life”, Sparro immediately worked Manchester’s beerthirsty revellers into a party fever. Effortlessly delivering the biggest tracks off the album, he unleashed a recipe of falsettos and baritones comparable to Prince and D’Angelo; a sprinkling of pointless self-indulgence on the keyboards and a refreshing dose of scatting for good measure.
“Hot Mess” – Sparro’s answer to the Purple One’s “Alphabet Street” – was a standout, as was “Pocket” which drew comparisons to the velvety tones of Omar. “Black and Gold” arrived to rapturous applause and was unquestionably the highlight of the night. A gambling man wouldn’t have bet against it been the crowd pleaser.
Hitting the city, fans were satisfied, but Sparro seemingly has more in his armoury than he cared to show on this occasion. “Cottonmouth” would have been more than well received, but despite the seemingly short set, Manchester witnessed a bonafide pop star set for international stardom. But lose the glasses hey Sam?
