Ancienne Belgique hosted the American duo CocoRosie this week presenting their newest album Put the Shine on. Originally CocoRosie is a duo of sisters — Bianca (Coco) and Sierra (Rosie) Casady — but the artists were joined onstage by synths and a human beatbox who got as much of the attention towards the sisters than to himself at certain bits of the performance.
Regarding the music, it’s difficult for me to describe it, other than a mixture of opera, hip-hop and even freak folk. Sometimes I found myself thinking that it looked more like a circus performance than a concert, and I was soon caught out of my thinking when I first heard Sierra’s beautiful operatic voice, that enchanted the public with her eerie magical melodies. She was also playing at times a harp that made the whole scene even more magical. Meanwhile, Bianca added some playful sounds using a toy motorcycle together with some bits performed with her own ethereal voice. The circus effect was even more emphasised by a dancer that came on stage during the performance that could well be a snake charmer ready to enchant the public even more.
The supporting act was carried out by the American Dj Miss Ginger, creating an atmosphere comparable to a techno club, with a full lighting set that accompanied perfectly the beats that she was pulling out from behind her table. Although some people in the audience were not initially convinced about the choice, everyone got quickly carried away by her beats warming them up for what was coming next.
Woensdag 28 juni 2023, Ancienne Belgique (Brussel, BE) | Foto's & tekst: Cristina Vergara