With support from Vanity Fairy and Arch Femmesis, American performer and musician Baba Doherty and British guitarist Nik Balchin, who together make up Baba Ali, brought their captivating and seductive presence to The Bodega, filling the room with infectious raw energy and groove that made standing still impossible...
“We’re here tonight, we’re here tonight on a Sunday night, on a snowy night, on a rainy night and we don’t give a f***!” It’s Baba Ali’s opening to The Bodega’s hardy crowd who’ve got through the heavy overnight snow, and grim rain and been rewarded with one of those ‘I was there’ nights of emerging new acts that The Bodega’s so famed for.
Opening for Baba Ali, is Moshi Moshi’s recent signing, Vanity Fairy. The creation of songwriter and vocalist Daisy Capri. Vanity Fairy who shimmers in silver headdress and cape, isn’t at all fazed by the weather affected crowd numbers and transforms the venue to her stage.
Singing through He Can Be Your Lady and tracks from her debut EP Love from Above she moves through the dance floor interacting with the crowd, heading into The Bodega’s photobooth, and mid-set grabbing a drink behind the bar!
It's an amazing intro to this new artist who expresses her newfound love, on Love of My Life, the new single released in November. One of the best new and engaging live acts, channelling seventies and eighties disco, via Roisin Murphy and Bat for Lashes.
Electro-punk duo Baba Ali, one of the most exciting new acts coming out the UK right now, aptly recognised by their performance on Jools Holland this summer.
A duo of American singer and musician Baba Doherty and British guitarist Nik Balchin. Their electro punk disco sound evokes their previous collaboration with Al Doyle (LCD Soundsystem / Hot Chip) on their debut album.
Onstage, Baba Ali is a seductive presence in the intimate Bodega. Opening with Not Loving You, House, and album title track Laugh Like A Bomb. Merging chugging electro, with Balchin’s shoegazery guitar licks, into a wall of sound at its peak.
Ali’s energy and the bands emerging sound deserving a larger audience, which will surely come on less wintry nights. Especially with a taste of what’s to come from new tracks Speed Bump and Dangerous both given their live debuts tonight.
Highly recommended as a dynamic new act and for fans of LCD Soundsystem, LoneLady and Hot Chip.
Baba Ali performed at The Bodega on 3 December 2023
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
