On a tiny stage, filled with keyboards, an overarching LED tree and other strange contraptions, Imogen Heap clambers to the front of the clutter holding a wine glass filled with water. She runs her fingers round the lip of the glass resonating an eerie tone that captivates the audience. Almost like magic, she sits at her piano and manages to craft a song from that constant ethereal drone.
It's something you might expect from the Grammy award winning Imogen Heap. She takes loops of random sounds and molds them into songs. She's a well respected artist who has vast and committed fan base. She has over a million followers on twitter but this hasn't translated into massive commercial success as she teeters on the edge of the mainstream. After having a chat with her, this fact didn't seem to bother her. She commented that the success of Jason Derulo's sampling of "Hide and Seek" was brilliant because it "pays her mortgage" allowing her to keep making the music that she loves.
I was a little worried about how Imogen's music would translate to a live performance. Her songs are a complete mesh of vocals intertwined with random sounds that create a vivid soundscape. I was pleased to find her live performance kept the qualities that make her such an individual artist. She darted across the stage tinkering with bells, synthesizers and random childhood toys to create the celestial feel of her albums. She was joined by musicians who also played a myriad of weird and wonderful instruments like drums, cellos and a throat bass (Oh yes, I said throat bass).
The evening culminated with Imogen donning shades and rocking out with a keytar but these moments weren't the ones that truly stood out. She shined when her music was completely stripped back. Her performance of "Half-life" was a perfect and particularly beautiful example of this. This, already emotionally charged song, was made even more haunting by Imogen and her piano taking centre stage. I would have liked to have seen more of this in her performance.
Watching Imogen Heap was a very special experience that I would I recommend to everyone. She has the ability to loop innocuous sounds to create a rich texture of electro-pop and the skills to play piano and sing beautifully. Truly amazing 8/10!
www.imogenheap.com/
By Jamie Powis (Birmingham Academy)
No comments:
Post a Comment