Now with only just over a week to go until Christmas, I’ll take a moment to consider my live music highlights of 2008. Admittedly I do have one more gig this year booked so far (The Bluetones) but based on my selective, biased and misguided memories of 2008 here are my present personal top 10.
1. Natalie Merchant at Hiro Ballroom in January
2. Anthony and the Johnsons with the LSO at the Barbican in October
3. Bjork at Hammersmith Apollo (twice)
4.George Clinton at Royal Festival Hall
5. REM at Twickenhma
6. Goldfrapp at Cecil House as part of the Electric Proms
7. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at the Troxy (and Hammersmith Apollo)
8. Stevie Wonder at the O2
9. Massive attack at the Royal Festival Hall
10. Laura Marling at Koko
It truly has been a great year for live music. I have had the pleasure and privilege to witness some magnificent and life-enhancing musical events.
Laura Marling proved to be an exceptional and unique talent. Her debut album was a mini-wonder. Live the depth and vision of her work truly shone.
Massive Attack’s performance whilst curating the Meltdown festival reaffirmed and refreshed old classics whilst providing hopeful indications for their new material.
Stevie Wonder provided a mixture of era defining soul and a familial pantomime. When he was on soulful form (mostly sixties seventies and early eighties focused) he defied gravity and warped reality. He was simply sublime. These moments were, however, often punctuated with decade spanning versions of schmaltz and jazz funk eternities. Overall a wondrous hodge podge of the brilliant and the banal.
Nick Cave and the Bad seeds dispensed almost entirely with crooning and he became a ferociously swaggering, old testament preacher. They rocked and bellowed in a sublime parody proof manner that is the preserve of the ageing and the rageing.
This year Goldfrapp reverted back to the pastoral and the psychedelic. The interplay of folk fusion and glam electro performance art provided an irresistible combination. Their set at the Electric proms was exemplary and cosily special.
On the opposite end of the venue scale spectrum, REM proved that they could turn the huge (Twickenham) into the intimate. Promoting the raggedly bounteous Accelerate and playing an impeccable array from their back catalogue they were masterful practitioners of stadium rock. A furiously impassioned “Country Feedback” was staggering, meriting the entrance fee alone.
George Clinton’s slot during Massive Attacks Meltdown brought the funk into the raucous forefront. In spite of ragged vocal talents, appearing like a cosmic hobbo and his shambolically honed ensemble antics, this was easily the most riotous and joyous audience of the year.They shouted “We want the funk” ad infinitum, and we still do…
Bjork was so monumentally great that I saw her twice within 4 days at Hammersmith Apollo. This was so much more than a concert. The rich pallete of musical convergence, plus Bjorks vocal prowess made for a delightful evening. From brass to pounding dance beats via the introduction of Antony, Toumani Diabaté and a trumpet wielding Einar (alas no lobsters tonight) this evening was joyously incongruous and yet somehow utterly complete.
Antony also provided a startlingly life affirming evening at the Barbican in October. With the LSOs lusciously primal orchestration Antony’s voice fused in a movingly incandescent synergy. Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” never sounded so yearning and bleakly compelling.
Natalie Merchant’s residency at the Hiro Ballroom in New York was both intimate and universally charming. Mixing older material with Shakepeare sonnets, childrens poems and promising new songs, this was a literal carnival of delights. There were moments of political and emotional overload mixed with vocal and musical transcendence. From tears to comical repartee this was a spellbinding event both in concept and creation.
Moments like those highlighted in this top 10 remind me of the glorious and inspiring nature of live music. Here’s to an equally inspiring 2009…
Posted by andywaterhouse 