Seeing a Taiwanese rapper performing at Headrow House to an audience of perhaps thirty people can only be described as a surreal experience. A number of people were sporting Grimes merchandise, reaffirming her role in helping Aristophanes break through into the western market. She featured on Grimes’ sophomore album Art Angels, delivering a bone-rattling performance on ‘Scream’ and securing her style as a slightly offbeat yet captivating rapper, despite language barriers.

Aristophanes’ first performance in Leeds amazed with how she broke these language barriers, with people trying to sing along to the simpler hooks, despite presumably not having a prior knowledge of Mandarin. Despite the small turnout, the energy in the room was electric – the audience literally screamed along with the chorus to ‘Scream’, perhaps seeing this as their one real opportunity to sing along. At one point, a man jumped on the stage mid-song, signalling for her to stop, to which she obliged, just for him to shout, “This is so fucking good!” Slightly thrown off by this exclamation, she started again from the top, but this seemed to cement the complete joy Aristophanes had brought to her audience.

Aristophanes’ style is unmistakable and breaks the traditional norms of rap, with an unsteady flow of excessive expression that seems to fit with the quirky production that supports her. The set consisted of a number of songs from her upcoming EP produced by none other than Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, due for release this year. She explained that her last song expressed her alliance with the transgender community, a demure yet atmospheric song that brought the set to a fitting close.

Her show was incredibly strange, but without a doubt a memorable experience.

Isobel Moloney

(Image: Pitchfork)