The headline acts at this week’s British Summertime concerts in Hyde Park were given a significant say in the selection of their support bands, which means a rare chance to see a musician as exotic as Kelsey Lu on a huge stage.
By rights the Brooklyn-based singer/cellist should be entertaining a tiny, supremely hip London club (which is what she’s doing next week, actually) so her appearance on the Hyde Park bill shared by Florence + the Machine and Kendrick Lamar will be a great chance to make an impact on those she might not otherwise reach.
A childhood as a strict Jehovah’s Witness, followed by a spell at North Carolina School of the Arts, have combined to produce a striking artist whose songs meander and float, revelling in silence as much as noise.
In the handful of videos available on YouTube she’s an unusual mover, coming across like FKA twigs with a cello. She’s been playing with Blood Orange and Wet, and recently acted as musical director for a fashion show by up-and-coming menswear designer Grace Wales Bonner.
She may yet be too strange to get close to the mainstream, but with another prominent support slot soon to be announced, it’s time to start taking notice.
July 2, British Summer Time, Hyde Park, W1 (08448 24 48 24, bst-hydepark.com); July 11, The Waiting Room, N16 (020 7241 5511, waitingroomn16.com)