GIG REVIEW: Coco Rosie
- Posted on April 16, 2007 5:58 PM
- 2 comments
COCO ROSIE
Shepherds Bush Empire
Sunday, April 15
Review by Zarina Raja
Coco Rosie’s most recent album ‘The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn’ was given a mere three stars by the Guardian. So, on arriving at the packed out venue, I was unsure what to expect.
Support acts Bunnyrabbit and Tez brought a light hearted atmosphere to the crowd by teasing us with some heavily based girl rap and Tez’s incredible beat boxing. The party atmosphere, however, swiftly changed as soon as a burning house - half eaten by fire- appeared on a screen above the stage. As Sierra Cassidy (the trained opera singer of the two sisters) began to sing ‘the house is burnt out’ in a soft, yet terrifying voice that one would imagine a ghost to have, I knew the Guardian had been completely wrong about the album.
There was a gothic, Victorian theme running through the visuals, and some of the songs, particularly ‘houses’ with its sombre piano intro. You could almost imagine being in a run down Victorian house, crawling with ghosts and spirits whom were killed in the fire. Sierra, dressed in a willowy black dress with black hair cascading over one shoulder had obviously embraced this theme. She danced and swayed around the stage completely immersed in the music like a lucid spirit. Bianca Cassidy (the hip hop sister with the child like voice) seemed to shy away from the stage in this performance and remained in the side lines more like the invisible spirit. Although she gave an energetic performance on her own there seemed to be less of a connection between the two siblings. Surprisingly, however, this did not mar the performance. In fact, it suited the lonely ghost-child-orphan theme that runs through the album.
This was a very soft, peaceful and thoughtful Coco Rosie performance. It was less ‘nocturnal zoo rave’ as Sierra is quoted saying about the new album and simply nocturnal - night time songs sung by a mother wishing her child to sleep. In this sense, the childhood theme was as present as ever, but slightly more haunted than that in ‘Noah’s Arc.’ It was more sinister -yet not scary. Imagine happy child frolicking in misty graveyards unaware of danger, only concerned with rainbows and animals. The song titles to ‘The Adventures of Ghost horse and Stillborn’ could be chapters to a children’s story book: rainbow warriors, animals, houses, girl and the geese and sunshine. We are reminded, however, that Coco Rosie is no children’s story book with ‘black poppies’ ‘bloody twins’ and ‘Japan.’ ‘Japan’ encapsulates current feelings with the line ‘everybody wants to go to Iraq and if they do they don’t come back.’
In all, this was a magnetic, mystic, mind blowing and morbid gig laced with rainbows, sunshine, waves and children. Not to mention the eclectic mix of opera, rap, beat boxing, animal sounds, piano, guitar and the harp.
Comments (2)
nielda
the Guardian gave them 3 stars only? hehhe, bunch of loosers..girls are amazing, one of the best performances i have ever seen, right after Bjork :)
Posted on April 17, 2007 1:54 PM
Marku Shelton
the gig was amazing, loved every second, only dissapointment was that they didn't play madonna, which is my favourite song. but that is a minor point. The Cassidy sisters are beautiful and amazing.
Posted on April 18, 2007 6:08 PM
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