Christine and the Queens, MOTH Club, London

Christine and the Queens looks right at home on MOTH Club’s stage, itself a glittering homage to a time gone by. Flanked by memorabilia from the venue’s prior life as a servicemen’s members club and backdropped by a gold shimmer curtain, Christine stands comfortably alone, her sound perfectly mirroring the room’s idiosyncrasy.

Christine - real name Héloïse Letissier – is playing her smallest ever London show to mark the surprise release of her ‘La vita nuova’ EP. Presented as part of Annie Mac’s AMP series, the intimate affair sees her perform the record’s five tracks in full, representing the many sides of Christine and the Queens’ sound, from the minimalist club beats of ‘Je disparais dans tes bras’ – performed in French – to the stunning vocal of ‘Mountains (we met)’. The record’s biggest moment is reserved for the title track which sees collaborator and friend Caroline Polachek join Christine on stage, ultimately evolving into a mesmerising dance battle of sorts. The friendship and respect between the two is palpable, an unbreakable display of strength.

A quartet of songs from Christine’s repertoire follow, beginning with ‘5 Dollars’ and leading into breakthrough hit ‘Tilted’, during which the singer abandons the stage entirely in favour of the dancefloor. Imploring fans to put their phones away and to savour the moment, it’s one of the evening’s many moments never to be repeated. From Christine’s conversational tone to the pin-drop silence met by ‘Mountains (we met)’ and the sheer euphoria of the house inspired ‘Intranquillité’, the evening quickly becomes immeasurably special.

It’s all remarkably effortless; Christine arrives at the otherwise empty stage through the crowd with only a vocal mic in hand. There’s no barrier, no obvious security in sight. Christine, noting that tonight is reminiscent of her early career, cracks jokes. At one moment she finds herself entangled in the gold foils hanging at the back of the stage. She smiles, throwing a knowing eye at her fans, and continues.

Throughout her career playing with the notions of femininity and power, with identity and sexuality, tonight cements Christine as a truly empowering voice. Among the brilliant songs lies a personable, relatable and self-assured individual, one who instils that confidence in a legion of devoted fans. Closing out an exhilarating evening with the absolutely massive ‘Gone’, in 45 minutes Christine delivers a truly unforgettable evening – one that will live as long as the artefacts on MOTH Club’s walls.