Ibeyi brings girl power to the Fillmore

Upon my first arrival at The Fillmore on April 13th, I noticed a “WOMEN RULE” t-shirt and listened as couples and groups around me spoke Spanish, French, and English. It seemed like a fitting way to start Ibeyi’s San Francisco stop on their 2018 world tour.

Ibeyi is a French duo comprised of the twin sisters Lisa-Kaindé Diaz and Naomi Diaz. The sisters blend electronic music with traditional jazz elements; the duo sings in English, French, and Yoruba, and incorporate French, Cuban, and Afro-influences within their music. Lisa is the lead singer of the duo and plays piano. Naomi provides backing vocals and plays the Peruvian/Cuban percussion instruments cajón and Batá drum.

Overcoats, compromised of college roommates Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell, started the night off with an electric show that drew on aspects of electronica, folk, and bluegrass. Their set reminded me of Sylvan Esso and Joseph: seamlessly styled lyrics with techno beats that create a unique spin on the contemporary singer-songwriters of today, while infusing popular music. Throughout the entire set, the duo brought an intimate feel to new dance beats proving that have what it takes to make it big within today’s alternative-pop music scene.

Ibeyi welcomed the crowd with an intense amount of energy that lasted their entire set. The sisters created an environment of wonderful euphoria that encouraged the audience to play a large role in the performance; throughout the show the sisters encouraged the audience to dance and sing with them ensuring they were just as much of the performance as the band. Similar to the band’s close attention to detail in their music videos, the two incorporated a mix of visuals, such as spinning backdrops, textualized visuals, and strobe lights to enhance their performance.

Despite being an international group, the sisters explained that their latest album Ash was heavily based on the events of the 2016 American election. Although “ash” typically refers to death, the duo transformed the meaning of the word to signal new beginnings. With the “ash” of the [Trump] presidency, we will arise more unified and collectively stronger. During their set, they referenced Trump’s infamous “grab them by the p***y” comment and used it as a platform, urging: “the measure of any society is how it treats its women and girls.” Their song “No Man Is Big Enough For These Arms” samples sound bites from Michelle Obama’s 2016 New Hampshire Speech in which she calls out President Trump’s mistreatment of women. The crowd met the song with a rally of applause as the sisters called for women’s empowerment and for all women to step out from the shadow of men.

After an electric night, the rousing performance of “Deathless” and the nearly a cappella rendition of “River” are ones to remember. The night was a triumphant feat not only of music, but of empowerment and love that transcended to both the audience and performers.