Joanna Newsom: Somerset House 21st July 2008

Joanna Newsom: Somerset House 21st July 2008 (2)

Originally uploaded by Andy Waterhouse

Armed with just a harp and a grand piano Joanna Newsom submerges Somerset House in playful folk mysticism. Playing solo is a bold move. It is also beset with the potential pitfalls of self aware postulating and showing off (witness Beck’s one man band show at the Albert Hall several years ago – immense though it was, there was an underlying atmosphere of smug self serving cleverness). None of that is witnessed here. Joanna immediately transports the audience to a folk alterna-verse. For this brief hour and a half we are moved to another metaphysical dimension. Intensely oblique lyrics and multi faceted melodies are the modus operandi here. There is a mesmerising and hypnotic quality to her performance. The sprawling and densely layered songs lend themselves to these paired down interpretations. The mixing of flavours and orchestral filigree which defines her Ys album is absent this evening. This absent audacity could be lamented and it is undoubtedly missed. However the removal of these layers allows the underlying core strengths of the songs to emerge. The melodic profusion and momentum which can be smothered by Van Dykes ‘throw in the kitchen sink’ arrangements come to the fore. The songs also benefit from allowing the lyrical saturation to be appreciated.

Although this is Joanna’s second gig in one day she is still adapting to the British weather. On a chilly summers evening she is definitely feeling the cold. Yet somehow this fails to stultify either her or the rowdily deferential audience. The bare bone sound offered does require much more palpable attention from the audience. The surrounding hush and awe magnifies the focus and sense of event.

The set is a mixture of old with a sprinkling of new “work in progress.” Emily and Cosmia are both distinct pivotal points of greatness. Particularly haunting and propulsive is Colleen which is a driven yelping polka. This song shares some common ground with Kate Bush’s “Jig of life”. It has a madcap edge of cliff ferocity matched by the uplifting string plucking. On recordings Joanna’s voice can present as somewhat girlish yet live the high tones are welcome and warming.

Half way through Joanna swaps the harp for a grand piano. At this stage she performs several new songs one of which she says the ending has changed (she suggests the audience compare it with other versions available in cyberspace). The new material is striking and instantly consuming. At this stage I realise that these piano driven songs are comparative to seeing Brian Wilson perform “Surfs Up” alone on the piano. Although perhaps they will gain added dimensions and authenticity with a more developed arrangements, they are miniature uncut diamonds already. In this particular case less is definitely more.

Vision (9/10): Harp Americana folk with a psychedelic sprinkling for seasoning (in other words unique)

Ability to execute (8/10): Mildly hampered by a chilly summer evening and being solo (Just Joanna and harp/piano evident) Yet, despite the self imposed minimalism, hypnotically engaging throughout.

Crowd symbiosis (8/10): Fanatical and diligently in rapture

Would see again (9/10): Like an inexplicable excursion to a tone poetry/harp dreamscape… Undefinable, intangible yet warm and wildly welcoming.

Post run tucker: 20th July 2008

Post run tucker: 20th July 2008

Originally uploaded by Andy Waterhouse

It’s also (as a consequence of the previously mentioned endeavour) been a bumper year of fabulous fodder. Probably not the meal that Paula Radcliffe would consume after a run but the Chorizo and potato Omlette (with beans and spinach) was the divine culinary sensation that followed the 10K…. yum

Medal! Bupa 10 K Hyde Park (20th July 2008)

Medal! Bupa 10 K Hyde Park (20th July 2008)

Originally uploaded by Andy Waterhouse

Self explanatory… Its my medal from the aforementioned Bupa Great Capital 10K. My seventh medal so far this year. Thus far its been a bumper year of athletic endeavour…

Bupa Great Capital run 10K: Hyde Park: Sunday 20th July 2008

One of the better ‘mass gathering’ 10K events. Analogous on many levels to the O2 Arena in terms of concerts: Indubitably there are too many people here to make proceedings exceptional for the majority of participants. However the overall quality is maintained (good organisation ,high profile, scenic, central and accessible venue, good quality medal (picture to follow) and eminently wearable commemorative T-Shirt) whilst the quantity is magnified many times over. Officially the total number of runners is 12000 (if one believes the tannoy).

The course itself is around hyde park (with a smaller inner loop taking place) . The scenery is pleasant and absorbing if not spectacular (unlike the exquisite park vistas of the Windsor half marathon). For the majority of the time, however, it is utterly impossible to maintain the racing line. It is in fact beyond the realms of possibility to maintain anything close to a straight line… (The quality quanitity trade off sulks rather sheepishly in the corner at this juncture). This constant stop- start- stop (etc etc) makes it impossible to sustain a rhythm. Bobbing and weaving skills (a dying art these days) are essential. This meandering and zig zagging is evident in the actual distance covered. According to the GPS triangulation of my Garmin we actually ran an extra 150 metres. This combined with the constant pin ball flux of the run would probably equate to being able to run a slightly more robust time of under 55 minutes.

However in spite of these shortcomings the ‘big event’ feeling and the novelty of participating in a run around Hyde Park made the experience ultimately pleasurable and rewarding.

[New experimental metrics follow:]

Scenic distraction: (7/10) Pleasant if never “wow golly gosh”

Organisation: (6/10): Overall excellent, marked down for grossly inadequate number of toilets

PB Potential: (6/10): Minimal unless one joined the elite at the start

Souvenir quality: (9/10) Impressive medal and T shirt almost atone entirely for the other shortcomings

Would run again: (7/10) The plusses greatly outweigh the ‘participation of the masses’ downsides

Time: 56:57

Position: 3641

Prom 1: Royal Albert Hall: 18th July 2008

A multicoloured caucophony (watch out for that organ, it looks impressive but may just deafen you)

Lykke Li: iTunes Live: Koko: 17th July 2008

 

Dictatorial use of dynamic drum stick…

 

Lykke Li is here to dance… Optimistically she also expects (and attempts to demand) that the crowd accompanies her in rhythmic motion. In spite of a relatively inert audience and in spite of commencing at 20:15 when the venue is half full, Lykke is on a quest to instil pleasurable vitality to the masses. Irrelevant of reaction she is irrepressibly animated. With flowing locks and jerkily dynamic dancing she often resembles a ferociously flowing bedspread on a washing line.

 

Appropriately the set commences with “Dance Dance Dance.” It is as much a statement of intent as a mere opening song. Dynamic quirkyness is the main flavour of tonights offering. Accompanying the unrelenting sparkyness is a homespun use of instruments. One minute she is playing the kazoo, next she is wielding a drumstick as her weapon of choice. The drumstick is waved and wafted more like a rapier than an aid to instrumentation.

 

All of the songs gain an urgency and vivacity when performed live. “Little bit” can sound soporifically sedate but as a live experience it both “wakes up” and gains extra instrumental barbs. “I’m good, I’m gone” also erupts like a minor solar flare. She tries coaxing, she tries demanding, yet in spite of her plaintive pleas (We’re here to dance… this is a rock gig) minimal audience reaction is extracted. The final megaphone romp which is “Breaking it up” is a ridiculously infectious edgy stomp. Shriekingly tuneful choir vocals overlap with megaphone yelping to insistent beats in a delightfully chaotic fashion. The effect is both ridiculous and utterly riotous….And then just as we are basking in such wonderment… it is all over. Such musical fecundity, adventurous and dynamism deserves far more…

Vision: (9/10): Melodramatic dance fusion of both audacity and pop subtlety. Perhaps a “little bit” kookily contrived but always fascinating

Ability to execute (8/10): A real passion and drive are displayed. Flailing dance manoeuvres sometimes hint at energy over subtlety but the overall efficacy is never in doubt

Crowd symbiosis (4/10): Pockets of enthusiasm but no more. Reasonable reaction for a support band but never truly brimming with excitement.

Would see again (9/10): Most, most, most definitely

We Are Scientists: Somerset House: Tuesday 15th July 2008

 The conceptual blueprint of the ideal outdoor summer gig has many intricacies and requirements. The environment needs to be conducive to the ensuing entertainment and the weather if not sultry needs to at least be dry. Both of these factors are surpassed this evening. The stunning courtyard of Somerset never ceases to bring pleasure as a concert venue… Every time I go, I am always amazed at how compact and intimate a venue it manages to be. (If only all concert environments were this facilitative of the individuals experience). The other two major players that make up the “triangle of experience” are the person (me, plus the audience, although you could argue that these are part of the environment) and the “entertainment” (in this case We Are Scientists). How will these 3 factors combine this evening (and what will the shape of the triangle be…)

 

We Are Scientists specialise in pacy, articulate indie rock. In spite of a stuttering start (the vocalist microphone volume evaporates during the first 2 songs) they recover momentum swiftly playing a raucous set based predominantly around the latest album “Brain Thrust Mastery.” The jagged and instantly kinetic songs gain extra physicality and power when played live. Salvo after salvo ensue. Between songs comedic quipping interchanges transpire. Often these are related to the songs but mostly they are surreal journeys dispersing into the borderline absurd. They recommend the little known Pizza Express and Neros outlets (good product placement guys) and also share that the last song was so good that they practically wrote it. The elliptical circumnavigations of reality bring an extra cartoonish dimension to proceedings.

 

(On a side tangent of my own: Many songs from Brain Thrust Mastery have a decidedly 80s pop edge to them. In particular “Lethal Enforcer” (plus several others) has a vestigial trace of First album Madonna. Something in both the backing track and the vocals has close genetic heritage to “Think of Me” and “Physical Attraction.” Its probably just me (or maybe it’s the hallucogens in the water)  

 

Unfortunately (and tellingly) the gig ends all too quickly. The clock on the Somerset House tower has ticked over all too easily and rapidly. Maybe not the ideal gig in an archetypal fashion but a “near perfect” evening of rare triangular symmetry indeed.

 

Vision (7/10): Deceptively complex melodic pop rock interspersed with reality orientating (or disorientating) comedic banter interludes.

 Ability to execute (8/10): Taut and deftly defiant delivery. Invigoratingly energetic and rambunctious throughout.

 Crowd symbiosis (7/10): Supportive and enthusiastic without ever boiling over into adoration. Pockets of frenetic po-go-ing erupted sporadically like brief eclipse wild fires.

 Would see again (7/10): Definitely at some stage. Not tectonic plate wrenchingly unique rather solid, steadfast and reliable thrills.

Gipsy Kings: Kew Gardens: Friday 11th July 2008

In theory outdoor summer gigs evoke joyful anticipation. In practice they can be unrelentingly damp. The later is the case this evening. It rains so much that comic proportions are reached. So when the Gipsy Kings do come on, we are just too wet to care. Fortunately the rain does subside as the evening progresses. Unfortunately it is too late for the Kettle chips or pitta bread to dry out (still who needs dips in conditions this soggy).

Musically the Gipsy Kings are a formidable live proposition. The craftsmanship and playing prowess is a wonder to behold. The full and urgent sound pounds the beautiful tree laden settings. Whilst the set features very few crowd pleasers (until the ineveitable pre-encore and post encore of Volare and Bamboleo respectively) it never fails to entertain and force damp motor synapses into blissful rhythmic motioning.

Vision (8/10): Latino powered guitar hip shaking rhythms. A relatively narrow furrow but extremely well navigated and nuanced.

Ability to Execute (9/10): Expertise on an epic level

Crowd Symbiosis (8/10): In spite of “dampening” weather, positive vibes and uncontrollable dance compulsion ensued.

Would See Again (8/10): Most definitely (preferably in slightly more hospitable climactic conditions)

Mumford and Sons/ Laura Marling: Luminaire: Monday 7th July 2008

This evening is devoted to the launch of the Mumford and Sons EP. They are rousing and folk fused enjoyment embodied. On the small, cramped stage at the Luminaire they shine in this brief set. Unfortunately they are still not as good as Laura Marling. Laura plays alone with an acoustic guitar. She plays only 3 songs (one of which is Blackberry stone) She does her best to be low key and complimentarily deferent to the main act. Alas her voice and universe expanding greatness still manages to outshine Mumford and Sons. Whilst they are enjoyable and exuberant they are not in the same macrocosm.

Vision: (7/10): Powerful folk rowdyness with God/ girl trouble lyrics

Ability to Execute (8/10): Instrumentally strong and vivid. Alas the lead singers voice is mildly raspy tonight.

Crowd Symbiosis: (7/10) Respectfully pleased adherents of the Mumford cause (although Laura does arguably get a better reception – although this could be my perceptual blindness)

Would See Again (7/10): Given time to develop they could be an exceptional band. Always a welcome proposition live

Dolly Parton O2 Arena: Saturday 5th July 2008

It is rare indeed that a concert straddles so many boundaries… Is this a purely retro show or does it make attempted claims for contemporary cultural relevance and valency? Is this a country and western concert or a kitchily camp disco-thon? Is this a spoken word autocued ‘evening with Dolly Partons memories, reflections and dreams’ or is this a pure musical entertainment spectacle for the many thousand of Dolly adherents?

The most patently problematic question is the final one. The concert promptly initiates at 20:00 (sharp).There are 2 halves to the show, each lasts approximately an hour with a 15 minute intermission (although surprisingly no costume/ rhinestone change). What seems like 20-30 minutes of the show is consumed by Dolly’s autobiographical use of self as a stand up comedian. Dolly is not here just to sing, she is here to make us laugh with self revelation… and also to furnish her songs with context and background. Painful is too mild a description for most of this superfluous material. It is lamentable how much singing time is lost irretrievably to the spoken word. Perhaps this is due to her being a unique ‘mass market’ proposition. She obviously can do what she wants and how she wants. Whilst evidently enjoying this crowd interaction it did remove the lustre from an otherwise sparkling performance.

If Massive Attack have been through several radical career metamorphoses that leave certain songs feeling like stranded geographically isolated evolutionary ex-aptions,then in comparison, whole portions of tonights performance sit together like an impossibly immiscable concoction.

There are the sacharine 80s confections otherwise known as ‘Islands in the Stream’ and 9 to 5. Joining these in terms of ‘joyful fluff’ is the unfathomably analysis proof ‘Here you come again.’ This triumvirate is unleashed just as the concert begins to wind up. It is insightful how at this juncture the whole concert changes direction. These are the camp cheese disco moments. People with enough years to know better stand (its a miracle), sway and (a word not used lightly) bop along to the music. Seeing the whole O2 Arena energised and enthralled by such material is like witnessing the brief opening of a window into another dimension:”Namely Dolly’s Disco Edam Heaven.” Then ,just as suddenly, the door is closed and the wormhole secured as ‘I will always love you’ engulfs the arena in vocano powered (but unmistakeably heartfelt) schmaltz. The encore is barely milked for a tenth of its potential applause… She is back hardly before the audience have recovered from the hyperspace lag of their musical odyssey. Finally a new gospel style song ends the show and then she is gone. When she sings time is a precious and warm commodity during the stand up routine seconds expand into decades.

I will not dwell on the long digressions that Dolly takes into ‘living autobiography.’ Although it is interesting that from our position it is possible to see her 2 autocue screens. During all the songs (even the ones you think she would have fused into her cerebral synapses) the autocue is active. Yet during her monologues there is (beyond a word or 2 perhaps as a prompt) she seems to be using the power of recall… Thus we overload on Smoky mountain backwoods history, regarding her mother, her 11 siblings, her father and also her ‘reading charity.’ Even though some of her newer (Shania Twain-esque – or is that like calling Paul McCartneys recent work reminiscent of Oasis) songs can be anodyne and trying (e.g. Shinola which compares a former lover to shoe shine… No you can’t make that up) they are infinitely preferable to the bland self aggrandising. Backwoods Barbie itself is a reasonable song and her cover of “She Drives Me Crazy” manages to keep the catchy core of the song in tact whilst gently escorting the material country-wards.

There is, underneath the gleaming, sparkly façade much gloom and poignancy to be found. 9 to 5 could easily be a Smiths song. Upbeat catchy music, lyrical cynicism and world wearyness (Heaven knows I’m not liking the day job now). Shatter my image and Sparrow are hauntingly beautiful downbeat wonders. Coat of Many Colours is a classic exercise in re-framing poverty as a positive springboard for ingenuity. The Grass is Blue and the Sky is Green is delivered forcefully with Dolly at the piano proving there is much more veneer than the rhinestone façade hints.

It is easy to be distracted by the cheese, by the rhinestones, by the needless chat-a-thon cul-de-sac. At the bottom of everything there is still a truly great artist here.

Vision: (8/10): Scattershot, overly styalised but ultimately peerless

Ability to Exceute: (9/10) When singing, (4/10) when reminiscing

Crowd symbiosis: (9/10): She is overwhelmingly supported. Pink stetsons are perhaps over abundant but enthusiasm and energetic support is demonstrated throughout.

Would see again (7/10) If she changed the anecdotes to be non-existant then that would be a 9/10

Dolly in flattering white light

Great view (splodgy photographic representation)