She is A Woman of Faces: Celeste at Academy 2, Manchester – 4th November

A soulful powerhouse, Celeste wowed the audience at Academy 2 on her outstore tour to promote her highly anticipated, symphonic sophomore album, Woman of Faces.

Words by Kate South

The atmosphere was buzzing at Academy 2 while the crowd waited for Celeste. Billed as a stripped-back outstore tour, the set began with two violinists, a cellist and a pianist tuning up and beginning an instrumental introduction. The small chamber ensemble echoes the symphonic forces featured in the production of the upcoming Woman of Faces album, setting the tone for the evening beautifully. 

Needing no introduction, Celeste walked up to the mic and opened the set with “This is who I am”, a number written for the thriller series The Day of Jackal and included on the upcoming album. Despite the small ensemble, the sound was well balanced with Celeste’s sultry, soulful voice. The following number was an unreleased song from the upcoming album, called “Happening Again”. This song was one of the highlights of the concert for me, with a beautiful descending chorus that evokes the work of Rufus Wanright, as well as the great songsters of the 20th century, including Nina Simone and Leonard Cohen. I cannot wait to hear the studio version of this track with the force of a full orchestral backing. 

Celeste’s ensemble set-up was clearly intended to evoke the symphonic soundworld of Woman of Faces. However, the next number, “Lately”, was a throwback from the deluxe edition of Not Your Muse, which features more traditional pop instrumentation. The ensemble expertly navigated this through reimagining each track into the sound of the new album, which in turn made the lyrics of Lately even more heartbreaking. Following this number was the more upbeat single “Everyday”, introduced by Celeste with a tongue-in-cheek quip, “This is a saucy song, I suppose”. Reimagined into a tango-esque arrangement in the absence of a traditional band, the song translated well into the acoustic set and provided some much-needed emotional relief from the preceding beautiful yet devastating number. 

Celeste is a naturally endearing performer and frequently engages with the audience, creating a cabaret-esque feel to the show. After asking the crowd their favourite songs, Celeste played the first request of the night, an a acapella rendition of “Ideal Woman”. An unrehearsed, spontaneous number, Celeste asked the audience to sing along, inviting us further into the show as she smiled her way through the abridged version of the song. Moments like this revealed Celeste’s charm. She exudes a genuine sense of love toward her fans, and as they sang along to one of her older numbers, it was clear they love her back. 

After “Time Will Tell”, the latest single of Woman of Faces, Celeste performed another fan request, “On With the Show”. This is my favourite single from the upcoming album, and Celeste did not disappoint. Rather than sing an a acapella, she addressed her ensemble, “I know you guys know this one”, and treated us to a reduced orchestration of the haunting number. Explaining the meaning behind the song, Celeste explained that the song represents the “grief step”, those times in our life where we feel grief so profound that it changes us. Despite this grief, Celeste made it to the other side, and she implored us to “commit to the life you can give to yourself” despite our pain. The waltzing, soaring vocals combined with the poetic lyrics rang out across the crowd, who stood in silent awe of Celeste’s commanding stage presence. The audience, including myself, was utterly mesmerised.

Mere moments into the titular number “Woman of Faces”, an audience member fainted. Celeste handled the situation with grace, moving into the crowd to check that the woman was ok while she waited for support from the venue. Celeste then dedicated the song both to the woman who fainted and to all the women in our lives who have made sacrifices that meant part of themselves had to be hidden or suppressed. The belted note at the end of this moment was one of many vocal highlights of the evening, and once again, I was impressed by the fullness of sound from the ensemble despite the limited personnel. 

For the penultimate number, Celeste performed her 2019 breakout single “Strange.” This song was absolutely a fan favourite, evident as the crowd gently sang along. Celeste has such a raw emotion in her voice that colours her songs with a palpable melancholy. To close the show, Celeste left us with one last unreleased song from her upcoming album, “Keep Smiling”, the deceptively happy track title contrasting the slow, lilting melody. Ballads are undoubtedly where Celeste’s voice shines, and despite the quiet sadness of the number, I left the audience feeling strangely uplifted, feeling grateful that I had been able to watch such a wonderful performer in such an intimate venue. 

It’s impossible not to feel excited for the upcoming album. The chamber ensemble mingled with Celeste’s powerful, emotive voice offers just a hint of the symphonic arrangements that can be heard on the studio recordings of the Woman of Faces singles. Even with reduced forces, the cinematic, spellbinding songwriting was excellent, and I cannot wait for Woman of Faces to be released. If she announces a fully fledged tour, get those tickets! Celeste has a voice that could, and should, fill arenas – make sure to catch her in a smaller venue while you can.

Woman of Faces will be available to stream everywhere from November 14th