Kelsey Lu‘s first new album in seven years, So Help Me God, arrives in June, and ahead of its release they have bi-coastal residency shows at Blue Note’s NYC and Los Angeles locations. The NYC shows happened on Thursday and Friday (4/16-4/17), with early and late shows each night, and we went to Friday’s early show. Lu focused on material from the new album, playing their recent singles “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and “Running to Pain,” along with some yet-to-be released songs and a few older ones. The jazz club setting gave the show a special feel, and instead of playing their cello, Lu stuck to vocals on Friday, with Zachary Berns (on drums), Christopher “Crow” Venditti (on electric bass, cello, and Moog), and Mikael Darmanie (on piano/keys) joining them. Bryndon Cook, musical director of the evening, also played guitar on a few songs.
Lu told a story about moving to London and living there before the pandemic to be in Sampha’s band. They wrote a lot of their first album, 2019’s Blood, while there, and they returned to the city a few years later to do a session with Gorillaz. They wound up meeting other artists while there, and worked on material for this album during that time.
Check out pictures from Friday’s show by Ellen Qbertplaya below.
Lu’s residency continues with four LA shows at Blue Note on April 25 and 26.
