It's not often that I buy tickets for two further performances after seeing a disappointing set. There were special circumstances around The Weeknd's first 2012 Coachella appearance though: he had to advertise for musicians on-line just prior to the festival, and it was only his third major gig, so a tentative performance was to be expected. The expectations around Abel Tesfye, a 22 year old Canadian of Ethiopian descent, are also impossible for anyone to fulfil. Drake declared Abel to be the 'greatest thing to happen in music for a long time', whilst MTV declared him the best musical talent since Michael Jackson. He's toured with Florence + The Machine in America, but this is his first UK tour, and nothing prepared me for the hero's welcome he was to receive in Manchester.
When I arrived well over an hour before doors, the queue was stretching to the end of Whitworth Street, and the enthusiasm of the largely young crowd was already immense. Abel has a reputation for being reclusive, and is notoriously reluctant to give interviews. This seems to be due to shyness rather than a calculated attempt to maintain mystique, as his talk on stage was limited, slightly awkward, yet full of love. The Weeknd's meteoric rise can be attributed to the strategy of giving away his music free online, which led some to declare the birth of a new music business model (forgetting about Radiohead's In Rainbows). Since then, he's signed to Universal, repackaging the three original mixtapes as The Trilogy and announcing an upcoming album Kiss Land.
Abel didn't preview this new material, instead concentrating heavily on the first two parts of his Trilogy in the all too short one hour main set. As he started High for This, the atmosphere was utterly electric: the crowd hanging off his every syllable, singing along to every word of Life of The Party which followed. This led to a beautiful section where he deliberately skipped phrases in the lyrics to allow the audience to take over the singing. The stage was sparse, allowing him space to move display his fancy footwork, constantly moving to the front of the stage to the delight of his adoring fans. I think even he was surprised by this reception on his first time in Manchester, and his gratitude was evident despite that endearing inarticulacy. Erasing memories of that first Coachella performance, I'm happy to report that Abel's magnetic energy on stage makes The Weeknd even more moving live than in the studio.
The tension sagged a little after the remarkable opening sequence, but this reflects the change in mood towards introspection across the trajectory of party, after party and hangover of Trilogy. Abel's been bracketed with the likes of Frank Ocean, Miguel and How to Dress Well as a pioneer of P R&B, and it's even been suggested he's invented a new genre of music. His influences are exceptionally wide, encompassing chillwave, soul, indie rock, soul, hip hop and the 90's trip hop sound of Portishead. More exceptional than this blend of genres is his tremulous falsetto voice, with a sense of vulnerability which evokes a sensuous yet sad mood. It has greater agility than power, but his backing band sounded tight, producing lush synthscapes and a rumbling bass. This evoked the murkiness of the early hours of the morning with a richer sonority than on the original mixtapes.
Some have misunderstood the attitude portrayed in the songs, which discuss drugs and sex explicitly: on The Party and After Party he promises love and cocaine to a girl by suggesting that she "grab them shoes, I'll race your ass up on them stairs." Yet, this life style seems to be far from a source of unalloyed joy, and he portrays himself as a victim; perhaps to imply that men have feelings too. Just as in Mozart, the ambiguity in the music shows the macho emotions implied by the lyrics to be false: there's a deep underlying ambiguity and pain. Live, his vulnerability and awareness of the fragility of humanity became clear: the atmosphere was one of empathy, not aggression. It seemed appropriate that a couple near to me embraced after the last encore; I sat for a few minutes after the lights came up, dazed, and reluctant to re-enter the real world.
The overall effect was surprisingly warm and tender thanks to his gift for melody, rich sonorities, and often slow tempos. Two female backing vocalists filled out the harmonies, whilst in Morning rock guitar riffs came to the fore, showing how far The Weeknd has progressed from a private solo mixtape project. His stagecraft has developed tremendously in the past year, and whilst aspects will be refined as he tours further, the command of the crowd is quite exceptional by any standards. I doubt I'll experience Abel again in a venue this size, and like the time I saw Adele in a mid sized theatre, I was stunned by the display of vocal agility. I suspect I'll be reminiscing about this show for a long time to come, and surely many of the privileged thousand people at The Ritz last night will have left believing that a new star has emerged.
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