Dijon is one of the most exciting artists around right now. His eclectic alternative pop/R&B sound is influencing many across the world already, and he only ramps up the eccentricity for his live performances. Fans of Dijon will be more than familiar with the live film for his album ‘Absolutely’. It’s a beautiful extension of his debut album, showing a collection of raw recordings with an abnormal amount of passion. This performance was like that film on steroids.
It started mellow and nocturnal. Faint guitar strums and bass plucks flooded the arena. Then we heard it. The fabled three-strum progression of the fan favourite ‘Big Mike’s’, the opener to his debut album. After the progression hit, the entire crowd just lit up. This song has been left off setlists in the past, so having it open the night meant it was bound to be a special show.
Next, he would hit out with a barrage of favourites. ‘Another Baby’, ‘Many Times’ and ‘Scratching’ would follow. A start of four tracks that fans often regard as some of his best ever is bound to get the crowd riled up for the night. Each of these performances was special in its own right, as Dijon rarely ever uses a track’s original backdrop when performing. The guitars and drums in ‘Another Baby’ were choppier and quicker, ‘Many Times’ was sped up and more hectic than normal and ‘Scratching’ was played with a banjo instrumental rather than piano. And it’s not just these tracks, almost every song was altered from the studio recording, giving such a personalised feel.
The setlist continued with two heavy hitters from his newest effort, ‘Baby’, those being ‘Higher’ and the album’s title track. It was nice to hear these songs stay true to their original composition on a setlist full of alternate instrumentals. After this, he would get into some deep cuts, the best part of every setlist, with a three-track run of fan-favourites ‘Alley-oop’, ‘Rock n Roll’ and ‘Coogie’.
The emotional masterpiece ‘Annie’ follows, featuring beautifully drawn-out vocals in the chorus. That is followed by Dijon’s biggest hit to date, ‘The Dress’. The Prince influence has been present throughout the performance so far, and the modified instrumental on this track only amplifies it, with 80s-style glittery synths and aerated drums filling the speakers.
‘Referee’ is played next, starting off with only a guitar and Dijon’s soft vocals before building up to this huge crescendo of booming drums and screaming vocals. ‘Rewind’ and ‘TV Blues’ follow, the former being one of Dijon’s most beautiful songs. It’s about Dijon’s doubt about being a worthy parent, questioning if he’s right to raise a child, knowing how he’s been in the past, and the raw vocal cracks make this such an emotional listen.
‘Fire’ brings us up from the sentimentality of the previous few songs. All the punchy sample bites and staccato drums mixed with Dijon’s explosive vocals would end as maybe the best raw experience of the night. Another mellow rendition follows with ‘Talk Down’, once again highlighting the ever-present Prince influence. This run concludes with the final unaltered track, ‘Yamaha’, a beautiful and triumphant song that feels tailor-made for a live setting. The set then closes with ‘Automatic’, reworked with a bright, expressive synth melody, and ‘Kindalove’, an emotional love letter to his other half. Dijon and his band would exit the stage to close the night, only before the stadium would roar with “One more song!” chants.
After a patient wait, he would finally return to perform possibly his most heartbreaking track ever, ‘Rodeo Clown’. The belting chorus of “You’re missing out on good good loving” echoed throughout the arena, closing one of the rawest performances by one of the most passionate performers in the world. Dijon’s music has always been naturally frantic, all-over-the-place and, frankly, imperfect. But those imperfections are precisely what allow it to breathe, giving it an authenticity that feels rare in today’s landscape. In a live setting, that chaos becomes something transcendent - off-the-rails, emotionally sincere and bursting with energy. At Brixton, Dijon didn’t just perform his songs; he lived inside them, and for a couple of hours, he let the crowd live there too.
Nathan Kelly