Blood Orange, Koko, review: 'You don’t know whether to dance, cry, or both'

How is he going to do this? The question hangs over Dev Hynes as he takes to the stage for his first non-festival date since the release of Freetown Sound, his most personal and developed album yet as Blood Orange. The Nineties New York aesthetic he toyed with in his previous work is now front and centre, providing the backdrop for his soulful meditations on race, loss, masculinity and queerness.

It’s hard to imagine how Freetown Sound may work on stage because it draws so heavily on samples and clips, some of which form the basis for entire songs. Hynes himself has said it’s “a personal mixtape that you would make for yourself – a messy, in-your-own-world, headphones vibe” – a vibe totally at odds with the packed room at Koko.

On top of all this, almost every track on Freetown Sound features a different female vocalist, ranging from Debbie Harry and Nelly Furtado to Empress Of and Carly Rae Jepsen. Will they be making appearances, or will someone else fill in?

All these questions are settled soon after Hynes appears on stage. He opens with “Time Will Tell” – the closing track from his last album Cupid Deluxe – and is met with cheers from the crowd as he punctuates its heartfelt melody with pops and pirouettes, channelling Michael Jackson. His dancing has developed over the years, and while it felt slightly loose in 2013 during Blood Orange’s Cupid Deluxe gigs, it now forms a tight and compelling part of his performance, and helps turn the gig into a show.

The rest of the band join him before launching into 'Augustine', the first single from Freetown Sound. It’s another example of Hynes’ unique ability to reflect sadness and loss through an infectious pop prism. There are times when you don’t know whether to dance, cry, or both.

As he works his way through the set, Hynes solves the issue posed by all his vocal collaborators on Freetown Sound with ease. He brings on Dutch singer Bea1991 to fill in for Debbie Harry on “EVP”, while his pitch-perfect backing singer covers for Empress Of on “Best To You”, the album’s poppiest and most addictive track by far.

The show’s highlights come whenever Hynes revisits Cupid Deluxe. For 'On The Line' he brings on his friend Adam Bainbridge aka Kindness, who sings and dances around the stage while exchanging cheeky grins with Hynes. For the funkfest that is “Uncle ACE”, Hynes delivers his vocal parts before grabbing his guitar and leading the song’s crescendo in a metal-inspired pose at front of the stage, his leg propped up on its edge.

To the crowd’s delight, the pragmatic anthem “It Is What It Is” and duet “You’re Not Good Enough” also make appearances, along with a couple of favourites from the band's debut, Coastal Grooves.

When Blood Orange performed at the Village Underground on the heels of Cupid Deluxe in 2013, there was a sense that gigs were more of an afterthought for Hynes. The performance was good but felt slightly under rehearsed. This time, however, Hynes’ navigation around the tapestry of Freetown Sound, and his willingness to play to the crowd, helps create something truly special.

It's a show, but more than that, it's an affirmation. “My album is for everyone told they’re not black enough, too black, too queer, not queer the right way ... it’s a clapback,” Hynes has said. And for anyone who can relate to that, it was a chance to clap back with him.