Daughter should not be on stage right now.
Having just flown onto our shores from the US (10 April), the band is suffering from some major jetlag which has in turn, affected frontwoman, Elena Tonra in the most incredible way. She giggles, holds her hands to her face bashfully and musters little more than a slew of gracious thank yous throughout the evening in a way that the crowd can only describe as utterly adorable.
On the surface it looks as though she is broken and speechless. Then the lights go down, her fingers grip the neck of her bass and her face lights up. Like magic, all semblance of her weary, time-warped mind melts away as she, like the audience, is taken.
Out of that shaky ground emerges a voice so exquisite it calls you to rapture. It's raspy, strong, controlled and breathtakingly beautiful. Not a single note is out of place and not a single word is forgotten as they leave her lips on whispered breath. And then the song stops and this gracious, giddily woman is back for a moment before the magic begins all over again.
With only two albums under their belt to date, Tonra alongside guitarist Igor Haefeli and drummer Remi Aguilella successfully appease the audience's needs, playing most of their back catalogue to a crowd who can do little more than stop, smile and smell the roses.
Singles, 'How', 'Youth' and 'Do The Right Thing' all shine but it's 'Fossa', the penultimate track of the band's 2016 record 'Not To Disappear' that surprises with its inclusion of Haefeli on backing vocal, adding a rich, untapped layer to the band's iconic, hushed sound.
In the words of a gushing Elena Tonra: thank you.
