Janelle Monáe closes out er three night residency at Factory International in true grand slam fashion. Support comes from local group, The KTNA.

THE KTNA

Seeing local talent supporting superstars like Janelle Monáe is always a great thing to see. The KTNA are a twin sister duo from Manchester. They’ve already had a success through working with Manchester United Football Club, Adidas and Chanel, and they have picked up millions of streams online.

“Whats good Manchester? Are you ready to see some black girl magic tonight?” the pair ask as they hit the stage.

From the off, the vibe is positive and the bond is strong. You can see it in the way that The KTNA perform. They regularly embrace each other with hugs and by holding hands. They embrace the crowd with their super tight harmonies and crowd pleasing call and response lyrics. When the subject matter gets heavy, they help each other through the songs. It is clear to see that these songs are packed full of emotion.

“It is a true honour to be opening for Miss Monáe,” they say. In the same sentence, the twins mention that all the music is written and produced by them. Their rapport with the growing audience gets stronger with each passing track and when The KTNA drop in a Don’t Look Back In Anger interpolation, the crowd are firmly in their hands.

When Hope and Millie Katana polish off their set, they leave fanning their fans to a rapturous applause from the audience. As far as warm up acts go, The KTNA were excellent. They went about their job with aplomb and set up the evening perfectly.

JANELLE MONÁE

There is a real buzz in the air as the stage is prepared for the main event. Manchester is blessed to have an artist like Janelle Monáe play a mini residency over three nights.

It is five years since Miss Monáe graced the stage at Castlefield Bowl, a stones throw from tonights venue. Upon arrival, punters are given a card listing the Ten Pleasure Commandments according to Janelle Monáe. Throughout the evening there are several references be it on the big screen with quotes and images pushing the messages of love and equality, as well as verbal affirmations from Monáe.

FLOAT

Much of the set is culled from 2023’s Age Of Pleasure record. Float, Champagne Shit, Phenomenal and Haute are all a part of Chapter One of the show. Flanked by a five piece band and two backing singers/dancers, Janelle Monáe wows from the off. Channelling a Midsommar vibe in one of many different costumes, she floats around the stage as the crowd are on their feet from the start.

Phenomenal is one of the best ways to describe this brilliant polymath. The voice is incredible, the dance moves are sleek and slick, the message is positive and when an artist can shift gears like this, you know you are watching a generational talent.

ELECTRIC LADY

Django Jane sees Monáe delivering rap verses at great speed. It’s another string to an already huge bow. Decked out in fierce diamond laden sunglasses and red beret, you could be be at an initiation for a new movement.

Q.U.E.E.N and Electric Lady are delivered back to back. The ‘Ooh, you shock it, shake it, baby,’ lyric is batted back by the audience. A little left side/right side duel sees the show really settle into a groove. There is genuine excitement around the audience knowing that they are witnessing a truly special artist.

Another run of tracks from the new album climaxes in people being brought on stage to dance during Paid In Pleasure. Each one of the invited gets chance to introduce themselves and dance on stage. Each one of the lucky few will have created memories they will never forget. They take their chance and show off their flamboyant moves. That feeling of joy pervades the room.

The reggae / afrobeat stylings of Lipstick Lover is hypnotic. Like much of The Age Of Pleasure, sex is the driving force. Monáe is a liberated individual. The sci-fi concepts of previous albums still ring around, but this creative change emphasises the evolution of the creative vision.

SEX CELLS

During Pynk, the phallic trousers of the Dirty Computer tour are reprised. It’s explicit, yes. There is very little in the form of subtlety. It is this approach that has helped people take notice of Janelle Monáe. She is a free thinker and just exudes confidence in expression of these sentiments.

A raunchy rendition of Yoga follows. The rolling beat rumbles the confines of the hall at Factory. The whole crowd are more than happy to join in with the chorus.

I Only Have Eyes 42 is for all the lovers in the audience. This leads into a main set end with I Like That; a song that Janelle Monáe talks of all the ways in which she proud to be different. When people expect something, they get something completely different. Monáe thanks the crowd for their support and for embracing all the different styles that she has crossed during her recording career. It is quite an emotional moment watching this American superstar throwing everything into the song.

MAKE ME FEEL

With the show nearing the end, Monáe dishes up some of her finest hits. A Michael Jackson inspired dance intro to Make Me Feel sees some great dance moves that wow the audience. Sporting a strat, Janelle helps the band out with the Nile Rodgers style guitar lick before everything shifts into full funk gear.

Thanks are directed to those that have been around from the start. A couple of snippets from older albums lead up to Cold War. It is preceded with a politically heavy preamble. “We can’t depend on government or politicians – we have to make the change. Jump off the hate train; hate is a learned behaviour and things can be new. We have to show up for each other like we have never shown up before”

The song is delivered in spectacular fashion. More sentiment follows; “We need to fight for the most vulnerable,” says Monáe before continuing, “I’m not proud of the USA right now; I’m furious; but I’m gonna fight like hell. We cannot let that orange haired, hate filled, cancerous individual back in power.”

TIGHTROPE

With the pontificating complete, Tightrope raises the roof. The drumbeat is thunderous and the guitar melody weaves around it expertly. A direction for ‘horns’ leads to some P-Funk style brass work. It is a celebration and then some. As the band exit, some members of the crowd start to make a hasty exit.

Hasty indeed. A cover of Moonage Daydream opens a second encore. Monáe has made no secret of her admiration of David Bowie. The free thinking, genre traversing, alter ego creating android that is Janelle Monáe certainly shares a chameleon like bond from another world with The Thin White Duke.

There is just enough time to fit in one of Monáe’s party pieces in Come Alive (War Of The Roses). There are no trips into the crowd on this night, but the crowd are heavily involved in the atmosphere shattering piece.

Purple Haze flows over the PA as the band depart and bring the curtain down on a brilliant short residency. I don’t think there are enough superlatives to do Janelle Monáe justice. If you get chance to go and see this show, go. No questions asked. It is a wholly positive show full of equality, love, joy, homage, and great music.

All pictures by Steven Boon, unless noted. You can see more of Steven’s work here.

Janelle Monáe: Website / Facebook / Instagram / X (formerly Twitter) / TikTok

The KTNA: Website / Instagram / YouTube

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