The International Writers Magazine:Music

---

Bjork - Hammersmith Apollo, London Thursday 17th April 2008. • Carly Mclain Like a fiery technicolour trible rave - Bjork is back......... Come with her and enjoy the explosion of sound. It feels like a decade since Bjork has been on tour, I missed her performance at Glastonbury hence the urgency to pay over the odds for the tickets.

Like a whistful dainty-like creature, she skips onto the stage in a childlike manner, her outfit ever more colourful and vibrant, with shiny black leggings - years of fashion creativity haven't faulted her one bit. Immediately the audience are perched on the edge of their seats, watching, intently to her every move. Eagerly keen to get a fresh insight into her creative energies and the engaging bubble that surrounds her music.

Her love of house music and big beat became evident early on, strong contoured lazers and light show, bouncing of every corner of the Apollo's walls to everyone's excitement, I thought having seats would ruin the interraction of being at her gig, but with a strong, engrossed audience everyone began to stand up quite early on.

It has been four years since her last tour and what a powerful return it was, her 11 piece Icelandic brass band complimented every song. She was joined by Antony Hegarty from New Yorker's, Anthony & The Johnsons and Toumani Diabate, the internationally famous Malian Kora player, he performed with Bjork on one song, mixed with percussion, brass and heavy dance beats, it was a mesmerising combination of instruments, orchestrated and led by Bjork's powerful vocal presence. In essence I found the whole performance incredibily moving, but a little let down by some of the setlist.

Some of her more memorible songs from the album 'Debut' were vacant from the setlist, however, the depth's of emotion and energy present in 'Hunter' and 'Army of Me', cemented the intensity of the gig. A wonderfully orchestrated performance, with plenty of confetti showered over the audience, lazers strong enough to blind you and a crazy combination of musicians all brought together in pure Icelandic musical harmony.
©   Carly Mclain June 2008
<misshoney780@hotmail.com>

Carly is a graduate from the University of Portsmouth Creative Arts programme

More Reviews

Home

© Hackwriters 1999-2008 all rights reserved - all comments are the writers' own responsibility - no liability accepted by hackwriters.com or affiliates.