Durand Jones + Nia Wyn: Omeara, London [Live]

A touring musician is a very special form of gift. That someone would endure the discomfort of travelling hundreds, or even thousands, of miles, simply to entertain us with their art is a wondrous thing. At London's Omeara (smaller sister venue to the fantastic Lafayette) at the end of August, two artists and their bands did just that.

Nia Wyn hadn't travelled as far as the headliner, Durand Jones, but even a trip down from North Wales is something worthy of thanks. She's a Welsh soul artist who counts Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith and Anderson Paak among her influences, and was a great choice of opener. 

Her set was just 30 minutes long, but went deep and felt rich and committed from its early stages. She performed with a full band - guitar, bass, keys and drums - who all looked super relaxed but also absolutely in the moment. Nia stepped on stage and launched straight into her first song, instantly opening her heart and immersing the audience into her world. The feel was soulful, relaxed and yet punchy, and several people began swaying immediately. Nia clearly meant business.

The rest of the set flew by, with all the band members giving it their all (I loved the bass, which sounded and felt like it was turned up to 11). 'Leave My Bed' was heartfelt, tripping along in 6/8 time before ending in a tuneful wall of sound; 'Checkmate' was another highlight, the drummer pushing things forward with a 16-beat, and then a big guitar solo; while 'Who Asked You?' closed the set on a strong note. 

For most of her set, Nia used a backing track to provide harmonies and other vocal accompaniments - while this was helpful, enriching and made sense (her studio recordings are multi-layered and often make use of a kind of call-and-response in the vocals), at some points I found myself a bit distracted by this. I felt like it entered into the scene a little too much, perhaps getting in the way of Nia's own, often nuanced and always remarkable, natural vocals.

Around the middle of the set, for the touching song 'Blue Grey Eyes', Nia took up an acoustic guitar and played alone. This one was quite a contrast to the rest of the set - simple and a little rough round the edges (the guitar pickup transmitting a lot of string noise) - but this suited the raw honesty of the lyrics and revealed a different and distinct dimension to the artist and her music. We saw her true heart here, and there was nothing to distract from the direct message of the song.

It was an accomplished, uplifting performance, paving the way nicely for the main act, and it was great to see that the room was well over half full, and filling quickly, during Nia’s set. 

By the time Durand Jones came on, the venue was pretty well packed, with a very expectant atmosphere. Durand began with possibly the smoothest start I've ever seen to a live performance. His four band members (drums, lead guitar, bass and keys) arrived on stage and played for a couple of minutes, a noodling, ad-libby jazz-infused instrumental. Durand strolled on, flashed a brief, charming smile at the audience, and - seemingly in one movement - took up a saxophone, clipped it to the strap around his neck and began playing with impeccable timing. A few bars later, he switched to vocals.

And about those vocals ... such rich, mature, smooth sincerity. Durand was born and raised in Hillaryville, Louisiana, enfolded by bends of the Mississippi River; his music and lyrics are inspired and deeply influenced by that upbringing, and that very special and poignant geography, with its mysterious beauty and often tragic history. Watching him perform in this place - so different and so far from where his music was born - somehow brought further poignancy to his art.

His recent album 'Wait Til I Get Over' (which was the source of many of the songs performed at Omeara) is the first major work to come out of Durand’s solo project. It's designed as a "veneration project": a work of art which tells the stories of, and heaps homage on, his hometown. 

At one point during the evening, Durand speaks of his joy to be performing his solo material, which he said had truly allowed him to express himself fully. He tells of how he got to the point of feeling able to come out as bisexual, and how this year has consequently been the freest in his entire life. 

The audience listens attentively (if a little stiffly at times - but perhaps that's just how a mid-week London audience looks in comparison with one of the freest of spirits in music) and Durand deftly rides the wave of obvious support they give. His between-song monologues bring us honest and intimate insights into his life and work. 

At one point, he talks of his musical influences, and in particular the "Brits" who have meant so much to him, Paul McCartney and - in particular - Freddie Mercury.

Then later, he introduces 'I Want You', a song written at a time he worked in a science lab. "I don't know how I got that job!" Durand chuckles. "Every night at five, I'd clock off and go straight home to the piano." Then his voice softens. "I wanted music to be life, my lover, the thing that provides for me."

Before he launches into a poignant, careful but passionate cover of Donny Hathaway's classic 'Someday We'll All Be Free' (which also features on Durand's new album), he explains that he chose it "because I'm still waiting for the day we will all be free", before speaking about his frustrations with the highly polarised society which the US has become, and his belief that "love can defeat it all."

Another standout number was 'That Feeling'. This is a song written about an ex-lover, left deep in the bayous of Louisiana. "I really hope he likes this song," Durand says with a wistful smile. It's a long and subtle piece of music, which builds subtly, too, and is deeply sensual. You can see and hear just how much it means to the man who wrote and now performs it. 

Durand plays with energy and warmth for over an hour, ending his main set with a winning smile and the almost bashful admission, "London, you really have stolen my heart". His down-to-Earth declaration of love (ahead of a brief encore) for Vietnamese pho comes as quite a contrast, but really just underlines how genuine, open and lovely this man is. 

Durand's music is surfaced and layered with joy. But peel away the layers, and there's a deeply gritty heart to so much of it. It expresses human life at its most emotionally fragile, deeply beautiful in its poignancy; but Durand, through his art and his own soul, also shows us hope, and winning love. 

You can follow Nia Wyn on Twitter/X and Instagram. Read more about Durand on his website and check out the video of That Feeling on YouTube, too. 

Date of gig: 29th August 2023.