Imogen Heap @ York Fibbers - April 3rd 2006
Tuesday April 4, 2006 - Permanent link to this post -
The hand-written sign on the coffee machine behind the bar said “No hot drinks while Imogen’s on. Ssssshhhhh!�. I’ve never been to a gig like this before. A gig where the headlining act introduces the support by saying that there are some noisy people in the audience and she hopes they quiet down. I’ve never felt the need to whisper during an act before.
I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting on in years (I’m 25, you know. Still got it though! Still got it) but the venue seemed to be packed with 14 year old girls. I was surprised. I know that I was going to see live music when I was 14 and younger, but I never went to see anything where the support act was a solo cellist. I put it down to the “Orange County Effect� and got a pint. Quietly.
Zoe Keating took to the stage following her introduction by Imogen and picked up her cello. Playing through an array of samplers and electronic devices controlled by foot pedals she created something very beautiful. I’ve not seen or heard this done before. Full-on chill-out dance music played live with only one instrument. The audience (good girls and boys) stood silent through her performance, only breaking their quiet to applaud loudly at the end of each piece. Stunning.
I didn’t really know what to expect when I bought these tickets a couple of months ago. Imogen Heap has been on heavy rotation on my iPod for a long time now but I wasn’t sure how her brand of mellow electro-pop would work in a live setup. I just couldn’t figure out in my musically niave mind how she would recreate what seemed like such heavily produced electronic vocal shenanigans without relying either on a group of backing singers or a recorded backing track. I clearly hadn’t given her much credit. Imogen Heap is a one-man-band. Standing before keyboard, a couple of samplers, a bass machine and a heavenly sounding mbira' she introduced the band one by one. “This is my bass machine� – cue bass solo. You get the impression that this is how she records.
Imogen’s perfomance was enchanting. Layering up her own voice using samplers and an electronic chorus effect at the same time as playing piano, and her Powerbook, she recreated the haunting and energetic emotion of her latest album, Speak for Yourself. I had looked forward to hearing a live performance of Hide and Seek (as I’m sure the teenage girls who now gathered at the front of the stage were). It’s a standout track on the album I was intrigued as to how it would sound live. That chorus effect is fantastic and to see it done live (no-sampling or other instruments) was one of the most interesting parts of the gig. The forthcoming single, Goodnight and Go was a real crowd pleasing pop song and the guitar samples of Daylight Robbery made for the only part of the act that could really be described as loud.
The real highlights though were the songs performed without much electronic intervention. The m’bira only version of Headlock; the acapella version of Just for now; and the vocals and piano of The Moment I Said It. Spines shivered.
It was a top night and a great gig. An experience from start to finish. If there was one thing that could have been better, I would have worn a coat. It was lovely when I left the house in my t-shirt. By the time I got to town I was walking through a torrent of hail stones. But I suppose she can’t get everything right.
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