Bilal, the male vocalist of his generation wowed Fabric’s crowd for almost two hours on Wednesday. A night which also saw Eglo’s first lady Fatima debut her live band. All in all a very special Deviation.

Benji B warmed up room one with songs to please the soul crowd in attendance, including Stevie’s ‘Too High‘, Yam Who’s long percussive edit of ‘Skyy, Can You Feel Me?‘, and Nas’ ‘Get Down‘. Eager to get a spot for the first of two live sets people edged towards the stage, before long Fatima and band began.

‘Higher’ opened the show, although it was in the second track (‘Lil’ Girl‘) when things really got going. Taking a backing role on keys, Floating Points’ solo in Shafiq Husayn’s composition demonstrated his terrific piano playing, skills often overlooked when he’s leading the show. Adding the final ingredient to a well-balanced line-up (others members being on drums, bass, guitar, and three backing vocalists) FunkinEven ghosted on to man his MPC and red microKORG XL, chatting into the vocoder to signal the start of ‘Kleer’.

Midway through, ‘Mind’ commenced. The most complete song to come so far from the Floating Points Ensemble, it’s one where Fatima seems to always excel, “What’s the use of running? When noone’s waiting at the finish line…”. Without the live strings of previous shows, super-crisp rimshots helped the fine rendition have necessary clout.

Charming as ever and witty in her on-stage talk, Fatima introduced ‘Warm Eyes’, a driving-with-the-top-down groove produced by Dam-Funk. ‘Soul Glo’ followed, complete with a brief cameo from Alex Nut that fell a bit flat but amusingly attempted to recapture the vibe in the video. ‘On the Go’ closed the show, though sadly the vocal harmonies were muddy in the mix. For Fabric to compete as a live venue these technicals need tightening. Minor hiccups didn’t distract from the overall quality of the performance; it’s a treat to see a  performer as talented and humble as Queen Fatima in such an ambitious set up. Another extraordinary Eglo production.

As Ronnie Herel DJed the crowd packed in even further, squeezing in tight during Jill Scott’s ‘Gimme‘. Shortly after midnight the main event arrived, Bilal with a 4-piece band.

Dressed in suit jacket and shades, it wasn’t long before ‘Something To Hold On To’ had spines tingling. The lead-in song from the album that never was (Love For Sale), it was one of many older tracks to send the crowd loopy. Cuts from 1st Born Second pleased Dilla heads, notably ‘Reminisce’. A breath-taking rendition of ‘Love Won’t Let It’ offered evidence on why Bilal’s vocals are so revered.

Weaving in material from the forthcoming Plug Research album, Airtight’s Revenge. The 88-keys produced ballad, ‘Think It Over‘ cooled the mood before ‘Restart’ showed how his new material has a rock-element, bridging soul with prominent electric guitar and crashing drums. Tight from their time touring the band backed Bilal brilliantly.

‘Sometimes’ was a joy to hear live, a 21st Century soul classic. Equally emotive, the new take on ‘All Matter’ contrasts to the Robert Glasper version but the familiar vocal means it still packs as much of a punch. Especially when audiences cry back “What is it?” to Bilal’s call of “What is love?”.  The delicacy of his voice never ceases to astound, as heard in the falsetto passages of ‘White Turns To Grey‘. Every bit as hair-raising as the recording, ‘All for Love’ showed his ability to ease through octaves.

Clocking in at almost two hours, Bilal fans could not ask for more. A wine-swigging encore finished with a female eruption when the man from Philly asked where his “Soul Sistas” were. Leaving the stage professing his love for London Bilal can rest assured that the feeling is reciprocated.

Fatima’s second outing with her band is at 8pm Saturday 17th July for Flomotion Live at London’s Royal Opera House.

Bilal’s European dates continue with shows in Oslo tonight, Saturday at the Dour Festival, and finally in Rotterdam Sunday.

Thanks to Ashes57 for the photos.