By Luca Woodruff, First Year Law
There’s yet to be a debut album from the band, but their stream of singles and now a sophomore EP casts no doubts on their prowess as a jazz-fusion standout, seamlessly blending the sensibilities of mainstream pop with Hardy’s soulful vocals and Gao’s classical technicality.
Wasia Project kicked off their hour-long set with energy, making a confident entrance to power-ballad ‘Is This What Love Is?’, albeit a slightly delayed one. A single off Isotope, Is This What Love Is? brought the driving beat of a dance-pop record needed to warm up the eagerly waiting crowd.
It also enabled the energy to be transitioned to 'My Lover Is Sleeping' – an earlier single from the duo’s discography, which tuned down the dance energy and amped up the laid-back jazz expression that the group is so loved for.
The beat continued on for 'Petals on the Moon', another earlier hit from last year, with a self-conscious undertone. It’s the introverted and introspective lyricism on beat-driven tracks like 'Petals', which connect with their fans in such a communal way, and it could be clearly felt in the crowd.
The English mundanity of 'feeling cold, train delayed' paired with the duo’s south London roots and relaxed performance style is symptomatic of British bands, but somehow unique all the same. The whole band’s confidence exudes familiarity and ease. Their vulnerability on stage is wholly believable and entirely comforting.
The 'whole band' being Luca Wade on drums, Tom Pacitti on bass, Safia Jazz on sax and Patrick Minton on trombone.The pace of the concert began to slow moving into the slower ballads of the set, prefaced by Hardy voicing her disbelief and appreciation of the audience, which is always welcome.
They reminisced about playing at Bristol’s smaller venue Thekla in 2023, although they agreed that 'It’s nice to be on solid ground now'. Gao’s pronunciation of ‘Tekla’ earned some endearing laughs.
They segued into this mood change with a bossa nova rendition of their jazz ballad 'How Can I Pretend?', with Hardy joining Wade on percussion, pulling out some shakers and going full samba. Her effortless vocal runs at the end of the song were truly a pleasure to hear live, and delivered with such ease and glamour.
In general, their live renditions vastly outsold the recorded ones, not because the recordings were static or lacked anything at all, but merely because the level of improvisation and flourish was so obvious and valuable to their live reinvention.
The spotlights came out for 'Burning Eyes are Calling', an understated yet lyrically powerful track in the set. Then, a return to their Isotope EP with 'Takes Me Back Home', a simple and moving song of reminiscence. It was a break for the audience physically, just not emotionally.
For 'Remember When', Hardy asked the audience to think about a time in their life that’s gone now. A person, a house, an old friend, and listen to the song through that bitterly nostalgic lens. It was another show of Hardy’s ability, especially the vocal straining of the high climactic moments, just brimming with colour and feeling.
The rest of the band left the stage for the next two songs, leaving just the brother-sister duo centre stage. It was a good decision – it brought out that vulnerability and intimacy which fans listen to their music expressly for.
Their most popular song, 'Ur So Pretty', wasn’t spun in any way or improvised vocally. It was left out on the floor to be absorbed by the sways of the crowd, and that’s all it needed to be.
The song gained traction on TikTok in 2022, before being used in Netflix’s Heartstopper season 2, in which Gao stars. It’s responsible for a large portion of the duo’s fanbase, and was rightly appreciated by the pair.
'My Vine', although being released before 'Ur So Pretty', also gained re-popularity after its use in Heartstopper’s recent season 3. In this moment of affinity with the pair, Gao’s skill on keys couldn’t go unnoticed.
The older of the two, he plays like his sister, with such ease. It’s clearly second nature by now, and it shines in broader tracks with room for improvisation, but is just as valuable in gentle moments to support Hardy’s delivery.
The band returned to the stage for a surprise track. A silky sax riff lead them in to Sade’s sexy and classic groove ‘Smooth Operator’. It was an obvious crowd pleaser considering its virality in 2023, but the band took it a step further and tried some audience participation.
Gao coached his side of the room to sing the titular hook on loop, as Hardy boasted 'the harder part' with her side. It was fun and playful, and it sounded as good as any crowd does, but was well rounded off by the trombone and sax after a few rounds.
The final leg of the night, they dug into the bulk of Isotope. Gao’s vocals had a time to shine on 'To Get Better', previously only serving as harmonies to his sister’s lead. He proved himself a talented vocalist as well as instrumentalist, with a buttery tenor register to complete what Hardy lacks on her own.
They played straight into 'Somebody Come Through', the biggest hit of the EP, largely for their signature driving beat and desperation-infused message. Hardy lead the vocals again, dancing around the stage and performing from the floor in a masterclass of balancing physical and vocal performance.
The seemingly final track of the set is the instrumental EP closer 'To Get Better', an enchanting medley of keys and strings, and although the heartstrings weren’t played, they were certainly tugged at.
Hardy picked up an acoustic guitar and joined her brother in playing out the Isotope EP on the penultimate night of the Isotope world tour. It was a beautiful moment to witness.
The whole band left the stage after the brief final track, to which the audience demanded 'one more song!' To no one’s surprise, our wish was granted, and they all ran back out to play one of their earliest releases – 'Misfit Biscuit' – a tongue-in-cheek song about loneliness and embracing your quirks.
Gao’s vocals again took the lead, and Hardy again whipped out her shaker to return to the bossa nova style they had touched on in 'How Can I Pretend?', the crowd was roaring along to the easily chanted chorus, lead in by Wade’s '1…2…1,2,3,4!'.
The audience cheered for another after its end, most knowing they had one left to give. One of their most popular songs, 'Impossible', was reserved the final slot. There was nothing new here, Hardy performed expertly from all corners of the stage, and Gao’s slamming of the keyboard could be heard two doors down.
It was a firework of energy, building to a sudden deconstructed moment of Wade’s drums rolling through fill after fill, accompanied by Pacitti’s simply electric bass solo, and with Gao laying down the chords all through it. Everyone in the audience got low, everyone in the audience was jumping. It was a vibrantly animated closer to a rollercoaster of a concert.
Wasia Project gave this concert every ounce of energy they had. The silky vocals (of both siblings) and musical ability elevated their recorded tracks to a higher plane, sprinkled with expert embellishment and at times, entire genre changes which birthed new love for old songs.
The rest of the touring band matched the energy brilliant, with Pacitti on bass standing out, not only being positioned upstage centre but through emphatic playing and a head that won’t stay still, or go un-headbanged.
They brought colour and light and vibrancy from start to finish – even in their slowest moments they were glowing and radiant. I’m not sure if it was the overhead lighting rig or the sheer talent and craftsmanship on stage, but they were beaming with colour, and it shone like a mirrorball.
Featured Image: Benji ChapmanWhich of your favourite bands contain siblings in them?
