It’s a big day for Sigur Rós. This morning they surprise-released Átta, their first album in a decade. This evening they begin an ambitious tour that sees them perform new tracks, rejuvenate familiar favourites, and resurrect rarely heard classics — with the help of a 41-piece orchestra.
Natasha Khan loves a concept. One of Bat For Lashes’ albums documents the inner journey of a woman who honeymoons alone after her fiancé’s killed in a crash on the way to their wedding. The most recent — inspired by Los Angeles and ’80s culture (in particular teen vampire film The Lost Boys) — has a character named Nikki Pink investigating a mysterious biker gang, the Lost Girls.
The same attention to detail goes into her live shows. In an interview filmed during rehearsals for her Meltdown performance, Khan speaks about embodiment, genuine connection and community, energy exchange, using dance to tell stories, introducing the new persona of the Mother Witch, the importance of growing and constantly trying to push herself, and the next Bat For Lashes album (inspired by becoming a parent).
New Song is so much more than the pulsing disco anthem that gets the entire Royal Festival Hall audience out of their seats. The track, which compares the beginning of a relationship with the rush of writing (or hearing) a new song, can easily be seen as a reflection on Warpaint’s career. Over the course of four stunning albums and almost 20 years, the Los Angeles quartet have always been enraptured by the new, constantly redefining their sound from one LP to the next.
Kelly Jones clearly remembers the first time he saw Patty Lynn sing. It was about 10 years ago. Stereophonics are touring the US with their album Graffiti On The Train. The Wind and The Wave (Lynn and Dwight Baker), are the support act. Jones watches them from the side of the stage.
“There are lots of people that can sing. There are lots of people who can hit those high notes, all that bullshit on the telly. But there aren’t many people who can move you when they sing, and I was moved by Patty’s voice,” Jones says from the stage at EartH in Hackney.
As The Wedding Present jangle their way into I Am Not Going To Fall In Love With You, the moshing and crowd surfing kick off again. Nothing surprising there. The front rows at Shepherd’s Bush Empire have barely stood still since the first notes of set opener Interstate 5. And one particularly tenacious punter’s been airborne, much to David Gedge’s amusement, most of the time since Brassneck. That was at least 45 minutes ago.
Alison Goldfrapp’s The Love Invention is stuffed with chic electro dance anthems. So it makes perfect sense for her first solo album to make its live debut at HERE.
Part of London’s new Outernet development, it’s a high-tech venue four floors beneath those massive audio-visual “immersive experiences” that have popped up outside Tottenham Court Road tube station. The sound system is astonishing. A huge high-definition video screen covers the entire wall behind the stage. The bar is more like something out of a Mayfair hotel than the usual £7-Carlsberg-pints-or-bust situation at most live music venues. The floors aren’t even sticky. Essentially, it’s the kind of place where you could imagine 2000 sweaty bodies writhing on a Friday night while a DJ spins high-energy bangers from that booth one storey above the dance floor.
Wunderhorse are on the up and up. In the past six months alone they’ve supported Fontaines D.C. on US and UK tours, released their debut album (Cub), and joined Pixies on a 16-date European jaunt.
They’re now on a national headline tour that’s almost entirely sold out. And all over the 1500-capacity Electric Ballroom are posters advertising their upcoming November show at O2 Forum Kentish Town, a venue that packs in almost 1000 more people than tonight.
A Mötley Crüe tour could be sponsored by, say, Jack Daniels, suggests Ben Gibbard from the Royal Albert Hall stage. Death Cab For Cutie’s current tour, he continues, should be sponsored by Boots.
It’s a line that draws the intended laughs, but completely downplays what the frontman’s faced over the past month. After having to cancel three shows last week, Gibbard revealed in a heartfelt statement that he’d completely lost his voice. The reasons included a tight, post-pandemic schedule that left little time off for recovery between shows. Oh, and he’d caught a cold that attacked his vocal chords, three gigs into a 22-date European and UK trek. Not exactly ideal for a singer.
“We finally made it. Sorry for the delay,” deadpans Eels frontman Mark “E” Everett early during the band’s highly energetic, hugely entertaining Roundhouse gig.
It has been a minute — and not just since the band visited the UK. In fact, their London show is (almost) a night of firsts. It’s the first full gig they’ve played in four years (apart from Nottingham last night). It’s the first time they’ve ever played songs like Steam Engine, Amateur Hour, The Gentle Souls, and Good Night on Earth to an audience (apart from Nottingham last night). It’s the first time they’ve played the sublime title track of 2018’s The Deconstruction (apart from — well, you know the drill by now).
You can tell a lot about a musician by the artists they choose to cover. During Marcus King’s epic performance at O2 Forum Kentish Town, the 27-year-old singer/guitarist/virtuoso from Greenville, South Carolina tackles tunes by the likes of Blind Faith, Marvin Gaye, and Jimmy Cliff. Even Elton John’s Madman Across The Water gets a look-in. But these are no straightforward copy-pastes; King reimagines and inhabits these songs with all the skill and confidence of someone who’s been playing shows since the age of eight.
Nils van der Linden