Róisín Murphy at Albert Hall, Manchester, 10 May 2023

Róisín, an Irish singer songwriter moved to Manchester at 15. She now lives in Ibiza but there is a special love for her here, you can tell. Known for 90’s EDM band Moloko, also has an extensive back catalogue of solo tracks, mixes and albums. She has been part of the Manchester dance seen for a long as I can remember, often seen on line ups with well known DJ’s such as Luka una (AKA Unabombers).

Before I start gushing about Róisín, I just want to do a shout out to the accessibility team at the Albert Hall. I’ve taken my disabled mum to several gigs at the Albert Hall and they provide an amazing service, best in Manchester I’d argue. Tonight was no different, I left my mum in the swanky accessibility area with her carer and joined my friends in the stalls to soak up the vibe.

Anyway, Róisín Murphy. She epitomises fabulous. Now I know at LOUD WOMEN we like to focus on the music over what an artist is wearing, and rightly so. With Róisín though, the costumes are a significant part of the performance. My friend Darren and I have attended many Róisín gigs and our fav activity is to guess how many costume changes. Tonight, it was 9 and Darren won the bet as I guessed 7. The Vivienne Westwood style and theatre this woman brings to the stage is a spectacle on her worst day but today she was at her best. Her voice…incredible…the visuals behind her amplifying the ambience…perfect…the band with a guitar player, bass, keys and a keytar and two drum kits…astonishing.

Each gig I’ve been too there have been different mixes of each song so I lose track a little but I have to mention that she did a calypso version of ‘bring it back’. Firstly, I think that may have been the first time I have seen her perform this song live as a solo artist but mostly I was just in awe of her capacity to transform this iconic song and make it great. This woman is a genius and so coocool.