Roisin Murphy doesn't do shows in the U.S. that often, so when the Irish singer-songwriter played the Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival on Friday (Nov. 4) night, the crowd's pre-show glee was palpable. And for good reason -- on wax, Murphy is a peerless architect of electronic art-pop, and in concert, she creates a singular experience that melds joyous camp with high fashion and leaves you breathless.
"Someone said to me a long time ago, 'You're a drag queen,' and at the time I was a little like… hello? But then I realized over the years that I actually am," Murphy recently told Billboard ahead of her New York City gig. Even if you missed the references to Paris Is Burning and the House of LaBeija on her 2015 comeback LP Hairless Toys, Roisin's affection for drag culture was abundantly clear the moment she took the stage at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Wearing one of several campy outfits she'd don over the course of the night (impressively, despite the many costume changes, she only left the stage once), Murphy grabbed the microphone while holding an oversized handbag (#PurseFirst) filled with red ribbons; she looked more like a kid's conception of what grownups dress like than an actual adult.
Queen Roisin pic.twitter.com/NuT9vsotS4