Live Review: 'Sapphire' burns bright as Weirdo's latest single

WEIRDO, for all intents and purposes, is a weirdo. With 2014’s first release, ‘Disco’ reaching over a million plays and subsequent tracks 'Armanio' and 'Attitude' continuing the hype, you’d think Weirdo would have toured the world and milked the praise dry. Yet weirdly, Weirdo is yet to play a live show.

The man behind the nomenclature, Josh Christopher, wants to stand firmly in the left of field, thus ‘Sapphire’, his latest single was born. Weirdo started writing the song two years ago, in segments, however it was piano-led and ballad-like - it wasn’t weird enough. Not until eight weeks ago that the track gained exactly what it needed, drums from Debbie Knox-Hewson, Charli XCX's drummer to be the sonic shift that Weirdo desired.

‘Sapphire’ is a sombre slow burn; the prettiness of the imagery falls away as the beat picks up and culminates with Phil Collins-like drums. Weirdo laments over a sapphire he believed to be precious, it functions as a symbol for a relationship that has run its course. On W Magazine, Weirdo said of the song “it’s about a friend or lover, someone the narrator once saw as a sparkling, burnished sapphire, falling from their good graces.” The track is an emotional flourish, ending with a heavy set of drums and a wailing guitar pinpointing the end of a failed relationship, where there isn’t anything left to say and everything to feel.

Weirdo will finally tour in 2017, with bandmates Pierre Leck on bass and René Corbett on percussion. Josh says that his stage wear will blend sportswear, high fashion, and vintage pieces. In the time he hasn’t been touring, Weirdo has become a darling of the fashion world, turning down a spot to walk for Maison Margiela.

Listen to more Weirdo on his Souncloud

Words by Lloyd Crackett

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