Live

Amber Mark: Lafayette, London 24/8/21

"This is my first show back since Covid", an excited Amber Mark tells the crowd packed into Lafayette as she energetically bounds across the stage. But if she's feeling any nerves following the 18-month hiatus she doesn't show it, confidently getting stuck into the catalogue of tracks she's released since her 2016 debut.

The 27-year-old from Tennessee is one of the most exciting rising stars in the r'n'b world, and the next time she's in the UK she'll undoubtedly be packing out bigger venues. But for now, the intimate setting at Lafayette, a newcomer on the capital's live music scene having first opened just weeks before the pandemic brought everything to a standstill, was perfect.

With a crowd that can come right up to the stage, she revelled in getting among her fans, delivering fist-bumps and laughing with those lucky enough to have grabbed a spot at the front. The day before her show in North London, latest track "Foreign Things" had hit streaming services and was already getting heavy play. And for a track that had only been around for 24 hours, a lot of people knew the words.

It's not hard to see why audiences warm to her. During her hour-long set, she jokes with the crowd, delivers fist-bumps and puts everything into her comeback performance.

Her vocal range is impressive and Mark has plenty of material to showcase. She digs deep to give "Worth It" the depth and emotion it deserves, while "Heat" has the crowd - many of who are also enjoying their first lockdown gig - dancing around at the front of the stage.
With a new album on the horizon, the future is looking bright for this young talent, and fans will be hoping she's back on these shores before too long.
Words Dave Burke