Nao creates a corner of pop magic at Latitude 2015

It takes Nao approximately two nanoseconds to transform the DIY Alcove Stage into one arm-flinging, grooving mass - more precisely, until ‘Inhale Exhale’ kicks in. Taking all the boundless, brassy pop-soul of Stevie Wonder, and combining it with a slick, innovative take on pop, her schtick is one that’s hard to resist. Her live presence is even more polished.

“Just in case you don’t know, my name is Nao,” she tells an increasingly packed tent - they woop knowingly in response. It’s a similar story when she introduces, ‘Adore You,’ ‘Firefly,’ and her collaboration with Jai Paul’s brother A.K. Paul, ‘So Good’ - in fact, every song is met by raucous approval as the bass lines sneak and creep across fret-boards, and the synths stab and pulse. Commending audience members right at the back on their dancing, and starting up call and responses out of thin air, Nao hits on unstoppable momentum.

So unstoppable, in fact, that when it’s time to finish, Nao’s not ready. “Have I got time for one more?” she asks, and by way of answer, her and her band launch straight into ‘Zillionaire’. A rising talent, tucked away in Latitude’s dappled woodlands, Nao creates something intimate, joyful, and a little bit magic.