Gearing up right before Sunday’s sold-out Lollapalooza slot, neo-soul duo Lion Babe hosted an intimate gig at The Box, the pricey, exclusive burlesque-cabaret on New York’s Lower East Side. The place is pretty notorious, actually.
“I’ve known about this place for a bit because when I turned 21 that’s the place I wanted to go,” songstress Jillian Hervey told us downstairs at the venue shortly before taking the stage for an eight-song set with band partner Lucas Goodman. “So I brought all my girlfriends here that night. To be honest I don’t really remember much of what happened but it was a great night. It’s funny though because coming in for soundtrack I was like this place is a lot smaller than I remember. I just remember seeing a lot of crazy things while I was here. Like, I wasn’t drinking champagne that night, but there was champagne exiting a part of the body from one of the performers…so….it was quite an experience. I was just like, is this what adults do? Welcome to adulthood.”
That sort of performance is a far cry from Lion Babe’s act, though Hervey has no problem flaunting her curves in leotards, 70s-inspired flare trousers and a few other fringe bedecked pieces while whipping her mane of hair, for which the band is named. Her show is more about the music, like the duo’s Pharrell-produced track, “Wonder Woman,” and their Childish Gambino collaboration, “Jump Hi.” Both embody the infectiously soulful sound the two are known for, as does their latest single, “Impossible,” which features the former dancer writhing around with a few handfuls of gold glitter.
As for what’s next, Harvey points to the band’s album as well as their performances at Lollapalooza and Afropunk. But if she’s headed for anything like the success enjoyed by her mother actress and former model Vanessa Williams (and Miss America 1983), this is definitely only the beginning.