For the younger members of audience there was a sense of confusion and intrigue of being introduced to the spectacle of Grace Jones headlining Saturday’s Love Supreme festival.  For those more familiar, Jones delivered a set comprising of all the firm favourites (My Jamaican Guy, Pull up the Bumper) with the fabulous flamboyance that is expected.

Between each song the stage would be plunged into darkness with only curiosity and Jones’ curious ramblings (largely involving demands for more whiskey) to hold the audience’s attentions.  When the lights returned, Jones would again be strutting around the stage in an outfit (costume?) more absurd and outrageous than the last.  These largely focused around body paint (at one point Jones wasn’t satisfied until her nipples were topped up with an extra splash of red) and an array of oversized cloaks and hats.  The highlight was an audacious reflective top hat upon which a single beam of light was shone, turning Jones into the most perfectly extravagant glitter ball of all time.  At this moment it didn’t matter what was next on the set list: the audience were captivated by the spectacle of Grace Jones reflecting beams of pure disco.

A solo rendition of Amazing Grace was a moment of self-referential indulgence and she certainly got the most out of the stage’s single prop: a pole.  The whole performance skillfully teetered on just the right side of an impossible spectacle and its credibility was bolstered by a flawless backing band hidden somewhere at the back of the stage.  A night of 80s disco was perhaps a little at odds with the rest of the lineup, but the thrill of watching Grace Jones illogically and relentlessly hula hoop-ing her way through Slave to the Rhythm is a memory never forgotten.

Read all of our reviews from Love Supreme here.