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New single
MELANCHOLY SKY
8 Jan 2012
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New album
THE SINGLES
6 Feb 2012 |
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Disco Dec 21
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| Date |
22/07/10 |
| Country |
England, UK |
| Town |
London |
| Venue |
Festival : iTunes festival at The Roundhouse |
| Setlist |
01. Crystalline Green
02. You Never Know
03. Dreaming
04. Believer
05. I Wanna Life
06. Head First
07. Number 1
08. Alive
09. Rocket
10. Shiny And Warm
11. Train
12. Ride a White Horse (extended)
13. Ooh La La
14. Utopia
15. Black Cherry
16. Strict Machine (we are glitter) |
| Reviews |
Dancing queen’s still pure gold
Slow synths signal the imminent arrival of Alison Goldfrapp – the doyenne of British dance and folktronica.
It's forgivable to ponder whether the ethereal diva would be lowered from the ceiling on a Moulin Rouge-esque swing, or somehow materialise onto the stage as if by magic. But behold, like a mere mortal, she walks! The woman who has influenced almost every female star in the current pop constellation, from Florence to tonight's support act Marina and the Diamonds, strolls from the back of the gramophone speaker-style set, all the way to the front of the stage no less. Goldfrapp (composed of namesake Alison and songwriting partner Will Gregory) have no need for gimmicks.
The whole set up emanates cool, casual power – and Alison hasn't even opened her mouth yet. Leisurely launching into the pounding basslines and signature sexy, playful, otherworldly vocals of "Crystalline Green", it's a measured start for a Goldfrapp and her band, all of whom appear to be in no hurry to impress the already smitten crowd.
However, critics weren't exactly overly enthusiastic about the duo's fifth album Head First, for which this iTunes Festival show acts as a precursor to the record's tour in November. A departure from the pagan themes of 2008's Seventh Tree, the new offering is a fizzy 1980s synth-pop fest now embodied by Alison's onstage costume – a jumper apparently made after a mass slaughter of VHS cassettes for their shiny tape insides. The electronic gurus stand accused of unimaginatively following the market that they inspired – a criticism that on a record filled with love songs that would make a teenager gush, holds weight. On stage however, where there is no hint of fluff or froth, there is no comparison.
The piercing electric violin in the celestial "Dreaming" is closely followed by keytar flourishes for a dancetastic rendition of forthcoming release "Believer". Anthemic single "Rocket" is greeted cheerily by a double whammy of crowd clap and sing-alongs. Despite their regularity, Alison's deep "thank yous" continued to surprise after every high-pitched song.
Even if the sheer quality of each musician's performance backed by simple yet effective songwriting weren't enough to keep the cheesy 1980s pap at bay (for there was and still is rather a lot around), Alison's cold, hard, smokey-eyed stare and dominatrix-style presence is enough to sort the woman from the girls.
Treating the unsuspecting crowd to three encores (the fans who left will kick themselves), the obligatory performance of "Ooh La La" from Supernature fizzed with the same youthful fervour as it's more recent counterparts, and had the crowd holding hands, leaping and crooning as if into a hairbrush at home. Ending on the unbeatable "Strict Machine", the band couldn't control their grins any longer, the way that only those who love what they do can. Goldfrapp proved they are still firmly the leaders in their field, and followers can learn more than a thing or two.
Reviewed by Enjoli Liston for The Independent.
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Goldfrapp’s world tour to promote their new album, Head First, will reach Britain in November. But the London-based group, led by the singer and songwriter Alison Goldfrapp, gave an early indication of the excitements in store when they performed at the iTunes Festival.
This month-long concert season at the Roundhouse, which is being recorded for future broadcast on television and radio, is again proving to be an unqualified success. As the screens at the side of the stage began the four-minute countdown to the start of the show and TV cameras on boom arms swished above the heads of the crowd, it was rather like being on the set of a video shoot — an impression confirmed by the striking visual design of Goldfrapp’s performance itself.
The musicians emerged through a swirling cloud of smoke from the middle of a giant silver inflatable doughnut set at the back of the stage. It was as if they had journeyed through a time tunnel from the early 1980s. One of them was wearing silver Lurex trousers, another was encased in a black and white striped jumpsuit. There were keyboards strapped over shoulders and a see-through bass guitar. Goldfrapp herself was wearing an extraordinary black-tasselled top which fluttered continuously thanks to the jet of air being blasted at her by two industrial-strength fans set in front of the microphone. She looked almost unreal.
The retro-futuristic image was the perfect complement to the music — a blend of pop and old-school electronica that was weighted in favour of songs from the new album. Dreaming sounded like an Erasure backing track, with Goldfrapp’s vocal drifting in and out of the mix with a suitably dreamy touch. I Wanna Life included an even denser layer of throbbing synth sounds overlaid with a feathery, ululating vocal effect, while Alive had a more direct pop appeal, echoing the style of recent shows by the Scissor Sisters.
However, for all the bright tunes and systematically catchy choruses, there was little projection of the vocals above the pneumatic dance beats and bass lines. Indeed, the sound of Goldfrapp’s voice was so heavily treated to fit in with the electronic textures that, for much of the show, the actual quality of her singing was obscured. It wasn’t until she launched into the almost operatic soprano of Black Cherry towards the end that you were reminded of what a powerful and distinctive voice she truly has.
Her charisma and authority, however, were not in doubt as she drove the show on to a purposeful climax with a string of older songs — Train, Ride a White Horse and Ooh La La — all built around stunningly simple yet effective disco bass and drum parts. The era of glammed-up, dancefloor pop is back with us, yet again.
Reviewed by David Sinclair for The Times |
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