Angélique Kidjo and Guests: Review Manchester International Festival

There has, of course, been much debate about The Factory, not least of which is that it is no longer called The Factory. I have passed this strange, white, contemporary carbuncle developing on the side of a new concrete block on the banks of the River Irwell over the past few years, and with great interest contemplated what might be going on within. But that is not even to be pejorative and there will be no narrative tease here… cards on the table, I am all in. I am Team Factory (Team Aviva may be still a little way off). When I read reports questioning what it actually is, and what it is for, I also have to question what you actually think might go on inside an arts centre? Laser Quest?

And whatever you might think… it’s open. Tonight’s show from the Beninese singer Angélique Ferrer is, as she herself tells the audience, the first ever show in this brand new 1… 2… 2.10… oh let’s stop counting… million pound investment in arts and culture in Manchester. It must be built. It is ours. And in a climate of frankly awful all-out attacks on the arts and humanities from a government with little of either, let’s celebrate a counter-attack from these cultured leftfield flanks. I am Team Factory. So it was built. Well, almost. The actual full opening is now October, so while the venue is open… ish… there is still quite an amount of snagging still to do. But the bar is certainly serving suitably expensive drinks (no red wine inside the gig space though … not the first time I have been banned from taking red wine places), with an open plan bar area accommodating what were, bizarrely, once the railway arches from Coronation Street (we are after all, amongst the ghosts of Granada). The Festival Square space outside is busy and bouncing and I am, for the first time, in a place I already know will become important. Not that I want to compare anything to my own hometown, but I am getting South Bank vibes from the place, and that’s good tingles. A new part of town opens up for us all.

And what a way to launch. Angélique Kidjo is arguably Africa’s greatest diva. Over four decades, and taking in four Grammys, she has cooked up a gorgeous, rich stew of sounds. When you ask what might be in African music, you might equally ask what came out of it… elements of jazz, funk, reggae, r&b and ska all feature in this mix. But whatever the track – from the opener ‘Crosseyed and Painless’ through tracks like ‘The Great Curve’ and ‘Choose Love’ – the one signature ingredient is that irresistible, infectious rhythm… and groove.

Like the start of any party, the crowd is a little tentative at the beginning of this Factory party. But with only a little encouragement from Kidjo we are all on our feet, dancing and singing and celebrating the night and this place… somewhere new to engage with art and music and culture in our city. Kidjo, in flowing Africa dress and headwear, dances across the stage as though it were her own personal dancefloor. She exudes positivity, and it’s infectious, her dancing almost redolent of (if more rhythmic than) Ian Curtis, which has its own Factory echoes. A couple of tracks in, the headwear comes off… and then we’re all off… over a musical waterfall, carried on a raft of happiness.

The band are tight, precise – drums, percussion, keys and bass – keeping the rhythm rolling the good vibes flowing. Kidjo sings in a variety of languages, including one of her own design, and guides us through sing-a-longs and vocal exercises like Freddie Mercury in his own regal pomp. We join in the ridiculously catchy chorus of ‘Meant For Me’. And even when the sound cuts during a bass solo, bar the monitors (let’s put that down to opening night teething problems… it’s not the final system the hall will ultimately use), the band carries on and the audience, wrapped warmly in a cloak of positivity, get back to their feet and fill in the gaps. A meteor strike couldn’t stop this party.

There is a space in the set for Kidjo’s cover of ‘Once in a Lifetime’ by Talking Heads, given an Africa jus. She also opens the stage to three guests at separate times during the set – local rapper LayFullstop, Ellen Beth Abdi (who sings a beautiful song using a looper pedal to layer the vocals) and One Da, Kidjo arguing that if she wanted to keep music for herself, she would just sing in the shower. All artists share the stage for encore tracks ‘Afirika’ and ‘Pata Pata’, before Angélique Kidjo closes the show with ‘Batonga’.

Judging from tonight’s opening of the Fac… OK, you win… Aviva Studios… if this is how Manchester feels about the place, we’re all good. A great way to kick off the first of what, I am sure, will be many great nights. Joyous.

Angélique Kidjo and Guests was at The Hall, Aviva Studios on 4 July 2023 as part of Manchester International Festival.