Sohn

The Haunt, Brighton | 13 September

In recent years music has been a bit like the conveyor belt on The Price is Right: one artist is whisked past before another swiftly appears in view to take its place and the cycle continues. Christopher Taylor is flipping the switch on the conveyor belt and sending a stark message with his blend of alt RnB pop and leaving a lasting mark in his wake. As SOHN he has previously produced work for Banks, Kwabs and Lana Del Ray and now he’s done lurking behind the scenes. He’s fast establishing himself as one of the UK’s brightest emerging solo artists.

Like a moth that finds itself drawn to a shining lightbulb in the dead of night; the audience find themselves entranced by SOHN’s soulful and intimate performance. Flanked by a duo of musicians, the hooded singer plays the anchor in a captivating performance that arrives wrapped in darkness. As lights flicker behind, synths ripple out a blend of texturally rich lines. At its most soulful his strain of melancholy pop isn’t far away from that of The Weeknd. Peel it back to its electronic roots and ambient inflected electronica reveals itself. The ear worm lyrical Bloodflows and the melodically rich, deep grooved Artiface aren’t a million miles from James Blake, deeply emotive, mesmerising.

In a rare moment of onstage banter the singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer informs us that he doesn’t do encores after an audience member sings out the line ‘I died a week ago’. He mirthfully informs us that, due to his limited catalogue, the bulk of material will be played during the set and when the crowd pleasing The Wheel is rolled out, it’s greeted with a warm embrace.

While SOHN, at this point, remains a mystery to many it’s a crying shame and those that fail to investigate are missing out on discovering a rather wondrous talent.

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Words: Nathan Westley

Photography: Tom Weatherill