REVIEW: Imogen Heap at The Roundhouse
- Posted on February 7, 2007 9:31 AM
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Imogen Heap @ The Roundhouse, Camden, 31 October 2006
By Cheryl Jacobs
Making her entrance on a flying broomstick, wearing a pink flower prom dress and sporting her trademark birds' nest hair and heavy theatrical make-up. Imogen Heap made a memorable, if slightly bizarre arrival.
Looking like an eccentric Mary Poppins, it's unlikely you'd catch any of Heap's 'serious' female solo artist contemporaries looking quite as unsophisticated and quirky. Scary appearance aside, (and it was Halloween after all), the former Frou Frou singer, on the final leg of her British tour at the newly re-furbished Camden venue, held a captivated audience before she'd even hit a single note.
Opening the set with the dramatic up-tempo ballad, 'I am in Love with You', Heap's emotive vocals soared, filling every hollow of the venue. On this track her voice was reminiscent of Annie Lennox, added with a mix of Dido, and on the higher, shrieked notes, a tinge of Kate Bush or Tori Amos.
Comparisons to the above are probably not entirely just. Heap has a unique voice and sound all of her own with incredible range. A multi-musician ( she can play the piano, keyboard, carpet tubes, and other assorted instruments. It was fascinating to watch her coordinate her vocals with flits between playing various instruments throughout.
However, this individual approach meant there was a stop-start feel to the proceedings, with Heap apologising to the audience for technical failures with some of the more peculiar electronic equipment. Abandoning, original song choice, the electro-tinged 'Headlock', Heap launched into the striking piano led ballad 'Speeding Cars'. Luckily, the audience were patient and enthusiastic with each hitch, and Heap playfully interacted with the crowd by throwing out some friendly banter.
During the timeframe, she performed her latest and commercially successful album 'Speak for Yourself' in its entirety. However, it was mid-way through the set when she introduced her former Frou Frou partner, and Madonna/ Bjork album producer Guy Sigworth on to the stage, where the masses had saved the nights' biggest cheers.
They performed two of their biggest hits 'Let Go' (now famously used on the soundtrack to the Zach Braff film Garden State) and the electro 80's influenced 'Breathe in.'
When she reverted back to her solo material, she displayed her powerful voice to great affect on the a cappella number 'Just for now', and was aided by a beat box sound layering her already stunning vocals, The elements combined made for a bold and unusual resonant.
To end the evening, Heap finished with the mesmerizing and reflective slowie 'Hide and Seek', a surprise commercial hit in the U.S. thanks to it's use in an episode of the ever popular teen show The O.C. By this point, she'd really hit her stride, with everyone completely taken in, swaying and passionately singing along to the lyrics as if they were a soundtrack to their lives.
She thanked the audience and told them tonight was the biggest crowd she'd ever played to. With more myspace friends than the Arctic Monkeys, it should only be a matter of time before the unpretentious, phenomelly talented Imogen Heap and her big hair win over the rest of Britain.
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