GIG REVIEW - Bat For Lashes
- Posted on October 29, 2007 9:46 PM
- 0 comments
Koko – 28th October
- Review By Zarina Raja
How did the Klaxons win the Mercury award for Best Album of the year and not Bat For Lashes? Although the Klaxons exude a certain quirky, youthful charm, they are leagues below the incredible Natasha Khan and her fascinating band, Bat For Lashes.
As I stared down on to the backdrop of twinkling lights, glittering instruments and make shift trees that were all basking under a mysterious blue haze, I could see that we were about to enter Khan's enchanting imagination. The rest of the crowd could feel it too because a warm calm that clung to the air as people quietly waited for Natasha to grace the stage. As she took her place, she gave the audience a shy smile and then began to sing something in French. We were immediately captivated by a sense of mystical awe as the KoKo whirred to life with magic.
The crowd, obviously in awe of Bat For Lashes enigmatic stage presence, continued to stare in a hushed and transfixed state. Khan’s voice was refined and powerful, yet wonderfully soft as it floated into the dark. The performance jolted me in to another, slightly strange place, almost a fantasy world. Each track was so well constructed that it was impossible not to lose yourself in Khan's beckoning, shimmering universe.
A live Bat For Lashes performance – no, experience – is daunting and almost unnerving. The band played so perfectly in time, that I could have been at home listening to the CD, but on top of that, I had to drink in their magnificent and glowing image. It was easily the best gig I have been to all year, or at least on a par with the immensely inspirational performance that Beth Ditto gave at the Astoria. We have certainly uncovered a female icon along with larger than life, Ditto and wobbly Winehouse. Natasha has skipped past basic pop artists like Kate Nash and Lily Allen and created her own alluring and eclectic sound.
Bat For Lashes are bustling with tireless wonder and a magnificent array of fascinating sounds that stir, subvert and soothe. I am delightfully trapped in Bat For Lashes' make believe and will be for a while.
Did you make it one of Bat For Lashes' KoKo performances? What did you think? Leave your review int he comments section.
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