Sudan Archives’ appeal has always been that of a polymath. Making her initial mark with her unique blending of the violin with a plethora of genres, this has only become the case more and more with time, subsuming more musical stylings and movements with every new album release. Her latest, The BPM, takes her firmly into the realm of dance, setting the scene for her recent appearance at Academy 2 in Manchester.
Before Sudan Archives made her appearance, an opening set came from Cleo Reed, a folk-country musician whose latest album has been making marks on a plethora of year end best of lists. Reed’s support set was enchanting and endearing, showcasing the wry and comic yet sincere brand of protest-folk songwriting that is all over her 2025 record. While a far cry from the tone of the rest of the show, it was a wonderful performance that set the stage for a night of genre-melding.
Credit: Tarimobowei Tobolayefa @ The Mancunion
Entering the stage with movements matching her mechanical, robotic sounds, Sudan Archives’ presence itself was made to feel like an event. Appearing first in silhouette, the audience's eyes were drawn to the violin strapped to her chest, as if some kind of cybernetic limb. Throughout the rest of the show, whenever she used one of her two violins, one more traditional, one a red V modelled after the exaggerated guitars of eighties hair metal, it was treated as spectacle.
Credit: Tarimobowei Tobolayefa @ The Mancunion
She produced the bow of the violin like drawing a sword (sometimes complete with metallic sound effect bellowing), posing with it above her head to cheers. There is an entrancing theatricality to her stage persona that made the concert feel grandiose beyond its relatively humble setting.
The set opened with the lead single from her latest record, Dead, and it would be hard to imagine a more apt opener. The opening minute of the song was extended in the live setting, building anticipation until the song reaches its climax with an undeniable UK bass style beat combining with Sudan Archives’ violin playing, which she does while singing and dancing seemingly effortlessly. It created an ecstatic mood which was kept up by further dance-inspired highlights from the album, 'Noire' and 'Yea Yea Yea'.
Credit: Tarimobowei Tobolayefa @ The Mancunion
If anyone in the crowd hadn’t got themselves acquainted with Sudan’s latest output, they might be rather surprised. Even when performing her earlier, far more mellow, delicate, material such as 'Come Meh Way' (a surprise inclusion from her first EP), there is a more upbeat, club-ready inflection to it. Towards the beginning of the show there was a small but noticeable contingent of attendees that seemed to fit this bill and remained rather still and silent, but by the end there was barely a still foot in the venue. It was impossible not to be won over to Sudan Archives’ euphoric performance, a true masterclass in getting a venue full of people moving.
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