Passionate, time stopping performances of a wholesome nature is the perfect recipe for a chilly December night. Belgian singer Tamino along with Kitt Philippa as support thawed our iced souls with warm dark toned, balmy tunes. The mesmerised audience were in good hands last night, as The Button Factory was shielded from the icy cold and wrapped in the comfort and emotive daze of singer songwriter bliss

Belfast singer Kitt Philippa began the defrost. Their quirky yet shy and sweet persona charmed all within the venue. Philippa’s voice drifts between captivating tones and hair-raising richness as they pour themselves into the songs, leaving the audience stunned. The crowd cheer and encourage Philippa , shouting “that was unreal”. Philippa sits at the keys swaying back and forth while the graceful melodies and elegant, raw musicianship blends with their superb vocals. There is a vulnerability to Philippa’s set and an innocence through the tracks that they rein and bridle with awe-inspiring confidence.

Philippa ventures from the keys to guitar. Playing mostly tracks from their newly released album ‘Human’ Philippa warmed our hearts with a spine-tingling voice and intensely rich musicianship. A cover of Jeff Buckleys ‘So Real‘ is a hit with the crowd as they encourage Philippa -whooping from the first gentle strum. An anecdote about Philippa’s brand of tea ‘Humanitea’ ( which actually sounds lovely and soothing) and the random sighting of a button on stage at The Button Factory before title track ‘Human’  brought a light-hearted end to Kitt Philippa’s wonderful set.

Philippa left the crowd touched and enthralled by their beautiful blend of melancholic depth and sweet optimism. It was quite a special performance. 

Tamino takes a very casual approach to his set. Perhaps it’s the laid back banter from the crowd or maybe the chilled and relaxed vibes from Kitt Philippa’s set but he chats and jokes with the crowd between his performance. He stands simply with his guitar, a 6 foot something, slim young man adorned in dark attire. He wows everyone in the room with his maturity, rich vocals and the dreamy haze of his tunes. From a first listen you would be forgiven to describe Tamino’s sound as dark and sombre however like all good things, there is much more beneath the surface. There is something special about this young performer. His sound is unique and completely his own, in every way passionate, immense and naive all at once. He is becoming somewhat of a “ rock-star “. Much to his surprise members of the crowd are shouting “ I love you Mr. Tamino” – to which he just smiles replying “ I love you too, we just met though but I like your straightforwardness”  while others are throwing roses on-stage and someone even threw their knickers.

Within the live setting Tamino’s tracks take on a richer more tantalising dimension. Even without his band at his side he confidently plays straight into ‘Persephone’ – just him and his guitar as he holds everyone’s hearts within his grasp. His rich velvety vocals slip between sweet falsetto and creamy depths that summon silence in the room allowing the beauty of his voice to lull and enchant at will. The crowd adore him singing every line to ‘Cigar’, ‘Tummy’ and ‘Sun May Shine’. Tamino stands, basked in warm golden or red lightning which ventures into blue tones as the dry ice creates a celestial quality to his silhouette. Not even a broken guitar string’s intrusive demand for attention hinders the show. Tamino simply explains that the string is broken, that he needs a moment to re-tune and the crowd wait patiently.

There are people from all over the world at this show as they take the opportunity between songs to ask him to do a gig in their country. The crowd remain silent as he begins to sing again. His deft, crisp… yet warm voice and sweet falsetto caress the atmosphere with tones of longing and tales of life. Tamino depicts romance, love, vulnerability and strength throughout his tracks and it’s his sublime timeless and unique delivery of these themes that grip the audience and submerges them in a magical dreamy haze. ‘Indigo Night’ in particular was outstanding live and ‘Habibi’ couldn’t have been more perfect. The crowd stood in suspense for that acrobatic falsetto. Tamino finished his set with an impeccable cover of Mac DeMarco’s ‘My Kind Of Woman’.

Tamino is in a league of his own. There is no denying his talent and vivid, poetic musicianship. His ability to create and weave fantastic melodies with rich exotic undertones shimmering throughout is outstanding. Tamino’s composition’s possess the potential to stir something within your very soul and in a live setting this ability is even more raw and potent. There were members of the crowd weeping from the emotion within his music. Tamino is an artist not to be missed. 

Author : Danu

Check out some more images from the night below