It’s been a whirlwind of a year for Marylou Mayniel, the French producer, vocalist, and musical visionary best known as Oklou. The 32-year-old mother of one released her third album choke enough this February to critical acclaim and widespread praise from industry titans like Billie Eilish, who herself claimed it was the record of the year.
choke enough has catapulted Mayneil to dizzying new heights thanks to its virality, being the first in her catalogue to chart in both the UK and her home territory of France. Despite its short duration of 35 minutes, it manages to paint a soundscape so vivid and full of life that it easily feels like hours. The thirteen-track LP was ranked as the best album of the year by Crack Magazine and has appeared on a variety of other lists, ranging from indie mags like Clunk Magazine to highly-respected publications including The New York Times.
In support of this widely successful record and to the longing of thousands of fans, Oklou recently embarked on the choke enough tour. It’s an international, long-spanning affair that recently made its way to Manchester’s New Century Hall for an entirely sold-out show. This proves to be a full-circle moment for the genre-bending artist, as her only other visit to our city was as a warm-up DJ in the same venue. Her support slot at Caroline Polachek’s gig at Albert Hall was originally due to be her debut Mancunian performance, but was cancelled last minute due to illness.
A quality support set from London-based emerging talent George Riley ebbed the crowd into the night; strutting onstage in nothing but a fishnet bodysuit and neon pink heels, Riley demanded the audience’s attention from the get-go. Tracks such as ‘Drip’ and ‘skin2skin’ were met with almost feral reactions from the crowd, who danced and cheered as she moved through her set. Her performance and recent collaboration with Shygirl sets her as one to keep an eye on. Shortly after Riley’s set wrapped up, the lights dimmed, crowd roared, and phones lit up the stage — the audience were ready to be swept into the quixotic world of choke enough.
Opening with the eerily comforting ‘ict’ and ‘thank you for recording’, attention was directed towards on-stage theatrics while ears were soothed by the warm range of Mayneil’s voice. Every word of ‘obvious’ bounced around the building, leading to moments of speechlessness and thanks to the crowd. Clearly, she herself is dumbfounded by the levels of success she’s rightfully garnered this year — it’s pleasing to see an artist receive their flowers in real time.
The energy within the room managed to steadily climb as she paced through the set, through tracks like ‘endless’, and one of her first singles to gain notoriety, ‘galore’. Mayniel’s production perfectly fit her music, being intricately laid out to provide a varying backdrop to each track. The set came to a climax during ‘harvest sky’, a collaboration with American vocalist underscores. Strobe lights and a track-like vocal provided the ultimate form of escapism, with not a sole left on the ground during each of the track’s vivacious choruses.
Fire continued to blaze as Mayniel navigated her eighteen-track setlist, commanding every ounce of the crowd’s attention. Use of various instruments proved that she is a through-and-through artist, committed to her passion. The endpoint of the night came with the heavy-hitting ‘blade bird’, written as an ode to her late grandmother. The track explores the ambiguous brilliance of life and its many unknowns such as death, morality and reincarnation – there’s beauty in grief being turned into a flower in this manner.
As the set braced to wrap, my eyes became transfixed on a couple swaying gracefully in each other’s embrace, finding solace in oklou’s song: it was one of those moments that makes you feel truly alive.
