Tom Misch. Photo by Max Hetherington
Tom Misch has already built up quite the following. At just 22 years old, this enigmatic producer, multi-instrumentalist, and singer from London is selling out concert spaces around the world, including the
Metro last Thursday evening.
Filled to the brim, I found a spot in the back, yet still had a perfect vantage point to observe the way in which the set lights interacted with Misch's layered sounds. He played a set chock-full of fan favorites, yet ended each with an improvisational groove. Interspersed deviations from his song's traditional formats appeared in the middle of songs, too, showing just how talented Misch is at his craft.
It's hard to describe his music to others simply. That complexity came through during his set. His songs blend elements of funk, jazz, soul, disco, R&B, and hip-hop, creating an amalgamation of sound that is heavily influenced by the past, yet uniquely his own.
The set kicked off with "The Journey," and segued into groovy hits like "Follow," "It Runs Through Me," (the studio version of which features De La Soul), and "Day 4: Everybody Get Down." Saxophonist Braxton Cook joined him on-stage, adding to the melodies Misch has created. During "Day 4...," Cook legitimately got down to the ground while Misch sang "Everybody get down, everybody get down..." on repeat. Thursday night instantly had become a party.
Misch slowed things down with "Movie" off of his newest album
Geography, where an intro featuring lines from an old movie leads into a song about love and longing. He then played his instrumental cover of Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely," and brought the tempo back up for "Lost in Paris."
Down to earth and talented, Misch engaged with the crowd and sipped a Corona between songs. It was clear that he was grateful to have sold out this show, even though this is not uncommon for him these days. Let the groovy dance parties continue on and on.
