With a setlist consisting primarily of material from Cabral’s fourth and latest album, ‘Portrait of My Heart’, she brought a sound reminiscent of the era of female-led 90s alt-rock bands, mixed with her signature whimsy style. Supported by Canadian electronic songstress Debby Friday (Deborah Micho), the two women treated the crowd in YES’s Pink Room to some of the best underground talent North America currently has to offer.
Cabral has described ‘Portrait of my Heart’ as focussing on “love, intimacy, anxiety and alienation” - all intense themes which Cabral used to her advantage, keeping the atmosphere electrified, angsty, and euphoric. Supported by a hugely talented band, her lyrics seem to serve as a form of emotional catharsis for her fans. From wailing “I don’t belong here!” on ‘Portrait of my Heart’ (the single), to “I hate the boys at school / They never play by the rules” on crowd favourite ‘Boys at School’, her voice is joined by a full room of people screaming back at her.
Cabral is an undeniable vocal and physical force of nature, an effortless and unrivalled performer with dance moves so animated they see her whirl-winding across the stage (and, delightfully, through the audience itself). Able to drive her voice from deep, throaty croaks to ethereal croons in a heartbeat, her performance is raw and earnest; she doesn’t hold back in offering her deepest vulnerabilities, not just giving us a glimpse into her inner world, but completely tearing herself open to allow us to rummage around. The effect is immediate and incredible: the Pink Room of YES erupts into shrieks and cheers at literally any moment possible - if there’s one thing Cabral can do, its make an entire room of people quickly fall in love with her.
Huge compliments must be given to supporting act Debby Friday, whose slow, sultry skulking of the stage showcased her almost ridiculous versatility of sound: from hyper-pop, to psychedelia, to more traditional hip hop, Micho masters influences from everywhere, and makes it clear she is here to impress. She cuts a lone figure onstage, supported solely by her DJ Natalia, but commands the space beautifully, her music the perfect soundtrack to a slow-motion catwalk through an expensive city at night.
Uniting the two women is an absolutely exhaustive effort to give the audience every last drop of their energy - “this next one is a marathon!” Cabral gasps comically during a momentary pause before her next song Alibi (“…anyone else wanna sing it? No?”); she receives laughs, but its true. She leaps, twists and swings through the space, whilst Micho gladly grinds on men and women alike (I’ve never seen some people look more overjoyed). What both performers absolutely don’t hold back on is audience connection and interaction: we aren’t ignored for one second.
It’s only SPELLING’s second stop on her first ever tour in the UK, and if this show is anything to go by, hopefully both she and Debby Friday are going to be making a triumphant return very soon. Both of these women deserve to be performing on enormous stages, and I don’t doubt that we will see them there in the near future.
Megan FitzGerald
Images: Gabbi Goldman
