Events preceding this gig did not bode well. I'd had a particularly hectic day at work, was feeling rather - no, very - harassed, and had forgotten I'd agreed to dine out with a friend (that'll teach me to make plans Under The Influence). Once that faux pas was out of the way I proceeded to eat a second evening meal at a restaurant near the venue, making my calorific intake that day pretty scary indeed. I think I might still be digesting all the meat nearly a week on ... We ended up somewhere which would be a vegetarian's nightmare, serving as it did chunks of meat on cocktail sticks (we should have known better really, venturing into a place called Carne). A lot of meat. How would I live this down? The gig had better be good, I told myself.
Thankfully, it was. I knew Natasha wouldn't let me down. My affection for Ms Khan is long documented on this blog and she and her new band put in a top class performance at the O2 Academy in Oxford last week. I was worried the beefier new sound would seem off-kilter with her breathy, Stevie Nicks-style vocals and am on record as saying I prefer her debut to Two Suns, but actually, the live performance of her second project rendered the whole thing way more epic and her voice is more than strong enough to compete with the swirls of sound crafted by her compatriots. Charlotte Hatherley's guitar was low enough in the mix as not to be obtrusive and the tribal beat of the drums provided the muscular pulse to Khan's pure, searching voice of the soul. Highlights included Khan waving cowbells in a witchy, beguiling fashion, flinging herself around the stage to 'Glass', and a spellbinding 'Sleep Alone'. And 'Sarah', my favourite Bat for Lashes number. All was very David Lynch and beautifully dark.
The whole performance was faultless and sounded as pristine as on CD, but whilst the purity of Khan's voice cannot be doubted I was a mite disappointed that she didn't engage more with her audience in between songs. The lack of banter was in marked contrast to the last time I saw her, when a more home-made sound typified her work and perhaps encouraged more of a conversation with her crowd. Even so, I refuse to be one of those churlish, precious sorts who suck through their teeth and demand a return to days of yore. This Bat for Lashes gig was as uplifting as I'd hoped for and more. She is a true star who is genuinely unique. And managed to lay to rest the spectres of our carnivorous feast. I think I could go gay for this woman. Watch this space :-)
Hey, great review! She's so cool! Love the pic too :)
Posted by: Sarah Brett | October 18, 2009 at 12:09 PM