Friday Night with Bishi

I first saw Bishi perform one very hot night in the summer of 2006 at east London’s Bistroteque. The audience had started to blow out the candles on their tables – even the tiny amount of heat produced by a tea light was too much. The room was nearly dark when Bishi appeared, using her clear voice to cut through the sticky air. Even though her sitar playing was still in its infancy then, she was a mesmeric performer: a folk singer with the soul of a showgirl. Her music is just like her, part Bengali, part English and all London.

Bishi has been a fixture on certain London scenes for years now, although she’s still only in her mid-twenties. She’d pop up at various events. It turned out we knew a few people in common. She was talented, yes, and doing pretty well with a Patrick Wolf support slot, but also someone who was just around. Which is why it was a pleasure and a surprise to see her playing on Britain’s biggest chat show, Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, last week. Apparently Wossy is a big fan and asked for her especially. For you American’s this is pretty much like David Letterman or Jay Leno getting into Crystal Stilts: not impossible, but certainly something to make you sit up a little straighter and text a few people. I hope you enjoy the clip.