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Azealia Banks review – thundering bare bones set almost brings down the building

Harlem rapper’s raw and eclectic performance has the whole venue bouncing

This has undoubtedly held her back career-wise, at least by traditional metrics, but even posting Instagram stories from a Trump rally in Florida hasn’t managed to override her reputation as one of the most talented performers of her generation. Tonight, she struts on stage in a Union Jack corset, knee high black boots and a royal robe – which she shucks off to a crowd response so thundering it makes you worry for the structural integrity of the building. The only time Banks addressed the audience was during a brief lull in the set, when she cut “Pyrex Princess” short to ask, “what do you guys wanna hear?” Between each track she totters over to the DJ booth and belts out an a capella in a big, soulful voice that’s right up there with Whitney and Mariah.

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