LIVE REVIEWS
The Novo in Downtown Los Angeles has long been recognized by locals as a theatre for emerging musical acts to make their mark. Its staging is not over-the-top, nor is it undersized, but on Saturday night, the indoor club transformed into a portal of opulence for one woman: Argentine singer-songwriter Nathy Peluso, who made the most of this space, and very clearly demanded more of it.
In the span of a nearly two-hour showcase, Peluso nimbly maneuvered from genre to genre, with no limit on the number of twists: poignant power ballads, razor-sharp raps and salsa sequences with elements of Brazilian funk, EDM and bachata scattered throughout. The setlist reflected the best of her catalog but placed a shining light on “Grasa,” Peluso’s 16-song LP that won three Latin Grammys last year, including nods for best alternative song (for “El Día Que Perdí Mi Juventud”), best rap and hip-hop song (“Aprender a Amar”) and best long form video (“Grasa”). Continuing the celebration, Peluso set out on a European jaunt and her first tour dates across the United States.
Considering Saturday’s show was Peluso’s second-ever performance in the city, in addition to being the final bow of this tour, L.A. fans were primed and ready. The general sections — comprised of a wide demographic of all ages and descents (Peluso sings in Spanish, English and Italian) — of the venue turned into dance floors as concert-goers mimicked what they saw: Peluso airly prancing across the stage during the salsa portions of the evening for songs like “Mafiosa,” “Puro Veneno” and “La Presa,” with the latter featuring a theatrical delivery from Peluso calling out to la policia and dancing against a makeshift cage.
Peluso follows these red-hot moments with emotional shifts. Before you know it, she’s on the floor, her body sloped across the carpeted steps of her stage design. And all throughout, her vocals never flounder — her vibrato is as honeyed and robust as it is on the floor as when she’s standing upright, nor does it tremble when her hips sway to “Erotika,” a lavish and erotic salsa reminiscent of the genre’s 90s classics.
Peluso didn’t need backup dancers or any elaborate quirks to make this show feel as big as it did. In fact, the longest Peluso left the stage was less than a minute. In these cases, you can easily pick up on the relationship an artist has with the music or narrative they’re presenting. For Peluso, who sings and dances and acts with a palpable swagger, it seems she’s completely engrossed in a colorful world of her own making, and is overjoyed by having us watch.
While the audience caught their breath, Peluso remained remarkably composed, and described the tour as feeling “like a movie — it’s all been like a movie,” she concluded. “My story is short still, but thank you for being here with me now."
For the first time in two years, American singer-songwriter Jesse Malin returns to London after suffering a rare spinal stroke in 2023 that left him paralysed from the waist down, abruptly halting a career built on decades of restless touring.
In September 2024, a tribute album titled ‘Silver Patron Saints’ was released, featuring reinterpretations of Malin’s songs by fellow rock and roll royalty including Bruce Springsteen, Counting Crows and Billie Joe Armstrong. As with the tribute album, proceeds from Malin’s two London shows will go directly toward supporting his continued medical treatment. These Islington Assembly Hall gigs were a homecoming, and the feeling in the crowd was of pure love and affection.
We were presented with Jesse seated in the centre of the stage, however after a handful of songs, he stood up and the crowd went crazy. As a natural orator, he piled us with plenty of candid comments and intimate stories putting us all at immediate ease with his fragile state. Renown for his signature blend of rock, Americana, and punk, his 2-hour set of 24 songs had a fair few tracks from 2015’s ‘New York Before the War’ as well as highlighting different eras of his solo career, with nods to his punk roots in D Generation and Heart Attack.
Not only running through fan favourites, Jesse Malin and his band hit us with a few covers, ‘Sway’ by The Rolling Stones, Patti Smith’s ‘Free Money’ and one from The Pogues (If I Should Fall From Grace With God), as well as bringing legendary British folk singer-songwriter Billy Bragg on stage to sing ‘Ameri'ka’ and The Clash’s ‘Rudie Can't Fail’. We also had The Only Ones frontman Peter Perrett following on from Billy with their 1978 hit ‘Another Girl, Another Planet’ and a heartfelt message from him to Jesse.
You could tell his fans weren’t just there to hear the songs they loved. They came to stand by an artist whose vulnerability and courage have become as vital to his story as his lyrics. Jesse thanked everyone for coming out for him and, even more miraculously, walked (zimmer frame-assisted) off stage to raucous applauds.
Set list:
1. I Would Do It for You
2. Oh Sheena
3. Addicted
4. Downliner
5. If I Should Fall From Grace With God (The Pogues cover)
6. Room 13
7. Turn Up the Mains
8. The Way We Used to Roll
9. She Don't Love Me Now
10. Free Money (Patti Smith cover)
11. Brooklyn (Bellvue song)
12. The Archer (Jesse Malin & The Saint Marks Social cover)
13. State of the Art
14. Black Haired Girl
15. All the Way From Moscow (Jesse Malin & The Saint Marks Social cover)
16. She's So Dangerous
17. Sway (The Rolling Stones cover)
18. Wendy
19. Meet Me at the End of the World
20. Shining Down (with Aaron Lee Tasjan)
21. Ameri'ka (with Billy Bragg)
22. Rudie Can't Fail (The Clash cover) (with Billy Bragg)
23. Another Girl, Another Planet (The Only Ones cover) (with Peter Perrett)
24. You Know It's Dark When Atheists Start to Pray
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