Santigold may have canceled her North American tour set for fall 2022, but she kept her date with NPR’s Tiny Desk in DC. The art pop artist brought an all-star band, including legendary Philly drummer Chuck Treece, to the uncharacteristically stripped-down set. The six-piece performed songs from Santigold’s breakthrough 2008 self-titled record as well as two from 2022’s Spirituals and one from the singer’s old punk band Stiffed.
Although she admitted she’s not “an unplugged artist,” the near-acoustic setup still suited Santigold’s emotive performance. “Punk, my roots as a performer, is kinda raw,” she said, describing how the band translated her set to fit the limitations of the series. However, Santigold’s inventive attire gave the audience a glimmer of the production value we expected from her full-fledged tour.
Watch below for the full performance, and revisit Santigold’s interview with our Melissa Simpson. Spirituals is available to stream where you listen to music.