Laura Mvula at National Sawdust
photo by Sachyn Mital

Laura Mvula played National Sawdust after Afropunk (pics, review)

words and photos by Sachyn Mital

The day after Afropunk’s main festival concluded, Afropunk, along with Jill Newman Productions, presented one of the acts from Saturday, Laura Mvula, in a more intimate setting at National Sawdust in Williamsburg. In the audience was one of Mvula’s idols, Toshi Reagon, as well as one dedicated fan who had approached the British singer-songwriter before the show, not to just thank her but to request that she play “Angel” — a track she hadn’t done at Afropunk. And his efforts were rewarded. Even though the tune is a particularly challenging one to perform live, she still graciously dusted it out of her repertoire, dutifully sang it and then offered the fan her hand in appreciation when it was over.

Mvula highlighted songs off her latest album The Dreaming Room but didn’t shy away from tracks from Sing to the Moon (other than “Green Garden” notably). When she spoke with The New York Times about making her setlist for the Afropunk festival, where she also omitted “Green Garden”, Mvula noted that “she sometimes prepares for a show by listening to her own albums before taking the stage. ‘I think it helps to focus my thoughts, and I often feel so uplifted by the music that it puts me in the right frame of mind.'” Without a doubt, the audience at National Sawdust was lifted up from Mvula’s gorgeous set. Check out photos from the show in the gallery above, and the setlist below.

NATIONAL SAWDUST 8/29/16 SETLIST
Overcome
Let Me Fall
Flying
People
Sing to the Moon
Bread
Lucky Man
Kiss my Feet
Father, Father
Diamonds
Show Me Love
Angel
She
Make Me Lovely
Phenomenal Woman
Be My Husband (Nina Simone)