Canadian cutie Justin Nozuka is a singer-songwriter known for his folk, guitar love songs and his incredibly mesmerising voice. While he’s not quite a household name, he’s had ample success in the singer- songwriter world and in fact has quite a large underground fan base. With his last London date being over 3 years ago, he’s left a fair amount of fans hungry for his return, so it seems fitting that a week before his third studio album he should return.
In tone with the intimate style of his music he performs at the, 275 person capacity, Borderline and on arrival the Soho venue is sardine- packed from front to back. A collective of mainly couples- women looking overly excited to see the Canadian heartthrob and their partners looking somewhat less enthusiastic- and myself, a 16 year-old girl being a bewildering sight at a gig cram-packed with cool, 20-somethings out for the night after work. However, I soon find my spot, and nestled between two very cosy couples, I get ready to take in the support act: Joseph.
I’m a firm believer that having a one word title is a bold step, you’re putting yourself right up there with legendary icons (Cher, prince, etc.), and it can often make you come across rather obnoxious. However, despite the name, Joseph is a perfect opener. His slow, rhythmic guitar music and sensual vocals foreshadow that the night is to be a scene of 275 people dumbstruck by the beauty of music. In fact, joseph was one of the most attentively watched support acts I had ever seen (and no, I’m sure that’s not all down to the fact that The Borderline is so humbly sized that not paying attention would get noticed ridiculously quickly). The extremely polite crowd give him their full attention, even at times when his folk songs seem to fade into one another and appear rather mundane- they gave him a chance. At 8.30 when Joseph steps off the small stage and into the welcoming crowd, it’s clear that everyone is eager and, most importantly, ready for Justin Nozuka to grace the stage.
From the moment he takes to the stage the crowd seems to be completely under his spell. With the help of his three band members, who he later introduces to the crowd, he brings a melodramatic sound to the room, opening with a soft instrumental before breaking into ‘Un-woken Dreams’ and bringing forth his soft, mesmerising vocals that straightaway enrapture the crowd. He finishes to an instantly applauding crowd, and it’s soon clear that Justin is just a tad shy and not quite sure how to interact with the crowd. For a one man show, the charisma just isn’t quite there- it’s as if it needs to be coaxed out of him through his music and he’s still egged on by the crowd. He follows with two romantic hits from his second album, ‘You, I, Wind, Land and Sea’, ‘My Heart is Yours’ and ‘Love’ and on from his first: ‘Motherland’. At this point a more upbeat song would have fitted perfectly to lift the melancholy mood and most importantly, get rid of the cuddling couples beside me. So, one of his most popular songs ‘After Tonight’ should fit the bill right? Not really, it’s slow and in the same and while he is a fantastic performer- it’s all a bit monotone. This is followed by ‘Sorry’ and ‘Ababayo’both, again, smooth and mellow. By this point I feel the set list is in dire need of a shake-up, which it receives in the format of a cover of British soul band Sade’s ‘By your side’. Justin takes seemingly tentative care to keep the fundaments of the song in tact while slowing it and giving it his own impressive twist of vary-pitched vocals and enthralling guitar riffs. The band disappear, cheating the audience into believe it’s the end (as every act seems to do), then reappearing for one last encore. The encore consists of a heart wrenching rendition of ‘how low’, which has brought a tear to the eye of the girl beside me and gripped the audience and another one to tug at the heartstrings: ‘Oh momma’.
On that note, Justin leaves to the sound of overriding applause and a crowd completely infatuated with his voice. While his performance may have failed to vary and excite- it certainly shows just how talented Justin Nozuka is. While he may not be a mainstream success, like fellow singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, he’s certainly giving him a run for his money with his beautiful folk, guitar music. If you’re ever looking for a gig to take your partner to or are just an avid fan of clear talent- Justin Nozuka is a pure must.
Corrine/@alt_ernate
Corrine Corrodus
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