VV Brown Rocks Out at First New York Show

If VV Brown experienced any jitters before for her first performance in New York City, she certainly didn't show it. From the time she walked onstage, donning a feathered Karen O-style headdress, to the end of her hour-long set at the Hiro Ballroom in Manhattan, the English singer displayed poise of a veteran performer.

Backed by a guitar, bass and drums and some prerecorded backing vocals, Brown ran through a majority of her debut album, 'Travelling Like the Light,' which was released in the U.S. earlier this month. On top of her sharp, soulful singing, which she occasionally distorted through a megaphone, the 26-year-old constantly incorporated the tiny keyboard, conga, floor tom and gong that surrounded her position at the front of the small stage.

Brown also offered up a few surprises throughout the show, her second free concert in NYC this week. Before performing 'Back in Time,' she announced her attraction to the song's inspiration, Albert Einstein, and revealed that she wrote the track while on the toilet. She then launched into a superb version of Drake's 'Best I Ever Had,' before paying tribute to her Caribbean heritage with a reggae version of 'Crying Blood.'

Naturally, Brown ended the night with her album's lead single, 'Shark in the Water.' Though she may not have the expansive set of a headliner just yet, Brown proved that she's certainly an act that will be sticking around for a quite a while. She'll be performing in Philadelphia, D.C. and Boston over the next few days before heading to Austin for SXSW next month.