This
summer Frank Ocean
returned to the UK
for two sold out shows at the O2 Academy Brixton; his first headline appearances
since the release of his debut studio album Channel
Orange in 2012. Between
the release of said album, a publicised confessional blog post confirming his
love for another man and a car park scrap with the human scab that is Chris
Brown, Ocean has more than built a name for himself outside of his previous
affiliation with offensive outfit Odd Future. Following
his success at ceremonies such as the Brits and Grammy’s, hype stood at its
highest, leaving Frank with a lot to prove.
The
first thing that instantly hits me about Frank Ocean Tyler the Creator, but almost seems to apologise for his presence as if it
were an intrusion; his demeanour is oddly reminiscent of a
boyfriend when you first introduce them to your parents. Frank’s performance begs for instant forgiveness.
Positioning
himself directly between a stage-side spotlight and a passing cloud of dry ice,
Ocean is obscured as his vocals emanate eerily unseen. Purposeful to never be
pigeon-holed, his voice ranges with an ethereal ease – soul, hip hop and RnB
roll together without so much as a pause for breath. Ocean
flows seamlessly between tracks with a lack of audience interaction which
admittedly is a little irritating, only briefly stopping to announce the
performances of previously unheard tracks “Feel California” and “Anything for
You”. Alongside singles from Channel Orange,
Ocean digresses to his backlog of early mix-tapes throughout his set, featuring
an acappella version of “Swim Good” from Nostalgia,
Ultra where his lyrics are echoed by the audience, his own vocals almost
drowned out.
Clearly
not forgetting his past as Christopher “Lonny” Breaux (as he was known before
changing his name), Ocean includes the little known track “Acura Integurl” from
The Lonny Breaux Collection, that
although lasts less than two minutes could possibly be one of the most
beautiful songs I’ll experience this decade. “Pyramids” receives the biggest
reaction of the evening, having become somewhat of a cult classic without ever
selling well as a single (only reaching No.129 in the UK chart), and
the audience sway in synchronicity, hypnotised by the hook of the synthesiser.
The show ends rather abruptly, the house lights return to full beam and the lack
of encore is a little disappointing but perhaps not surprising, given Ocean’s
reluctance to engage despite his obvious brilliance. Although his vocals never falter, I
couldn’t help but feel the need to clamber onstage to offer a consoling cuddle
and a promise that everything with be alright.
Despite
this, it is Frank
Ocean
