“Florence and the Machine” at the Royal Albert Hall

Tuesday night we saw Florence and the Machine perform at the Royal Albert Hall in a fundraiser for the Teenage Cancer Trust. After “Big Deal” opened the show, I was excited to see the back-up singers and full orchestra complete with a (female) conductor, harpist and pianist take the stage – I love it when rock musicians integrate classical orchestration, especially appropriate in the English institution that is the Royal Albert Hall. The suspense was palpable but not enough so to keep me from missing Princess Beatrice sitting four boxes to our right. After “The Who” lead singer Roger D gave a quick talk in support of the not-for-profit organisation, the strikingly tall and Klimt-like Florence W made her way to the stage. Her entire self, physical appearance, voice and body language included, is of a different era. With her hair back pulled back and elegant dress covering every inch of her statue of a body, she looks far more like a figure from late-18th-century Romanticism, a philosophical and literary period which serves as a source of her artistic inspiration, than a contemporary rock star – with looks like hers, how could she be anything but an artist?

And what a beautiful opportunity it was to hear Florence sing live with a choir of back-up singers and orchestra to accompany her dramatic sing-song voice and tentacle arms which serve as extensions of her voice, as if she’s conducting herself the way the musical conductor does the orchestra. A unique aspect about Florence is her innocence – she’s nothing like the photos in fashion spreads; instead, she struck me as modest and mature, like a singer who happens to fall into the rock genre, almost incidental than the primary feature of her art. She regularly thanked the charity for inviting her to sing, the orchestra for their outstanding performance and the audience for their support.

While performing “Only If For A Night”, I noticed the religious tones in the visual design of Florence’s performance; behind the back-up singers whose formation resembled that of a church choir were projected designs of stained-glass windows typical of a church. “Heartlines” resembles poetry more than contemporary song with its sporadic pauses, long build-up and crescendos. During “Between Two Lungs” I could hear the likes of Tori A, Sarah McL and Natalie M, strong female artists from my teenage years – it’s refreshing to hear another female voice make it in mainstream music. With the emergence and success of artists like Florence W, Adele, Amy W and Duffy, the UK is re-asserting its centrality in the rock scene.

In “Breaking Down” I was conscious of how Florence evokes the natural world in her lyrics when describing the overwhelming sensation of falling in love. During “All This and Heaven Too”, the audience was more focused on her parents’ response to the song she dedicated to them. The prolonged lead-up to “No Light, No Light” has a monologue-like aspect to it before the singing kicks in, a long foreplay preceding the consummation of music and song. After “Never Let Me Go”, she performed “Dog Days Are Over”: the audience roared with approval. It was really at this point, the “final” song in her set that she looked the most comfortable in her porcelain skin. With a booming voice that sent chills down our collective spines (princesses included, I suspect), the quickening beat was accompanied by the audience’s clapping. A long organ chord signaled the encore, “Shake It Out” whose conversational toned introduction teases the audience before Florence W breaks into song – for M and I, we concluded the night with our second standing ovation in the space of just four days.

Kids Company & Coldplay – O2 Arena

Last night we continued M’s b-day celebration by attending the “Kids Company and Coldplay” concert at the O2 Arena. Chris M, the Coldplay lead man, is a celebrity supporter of Kids Company, a children’s charity founded by Camila B. Tinie Tempah opened for Coldplay: although neither of us were familiar with TT, we were both impressed by the rapper’s professionalism, energy and positivity. Overall, the concert hall had a great vibe, much of which I attribute to the focus on helping disadvantaged kids, a theme the artists and emcees returned to throughout the evening. Steve C–gan, the English comedian, was a riot – he performed the role of Alan Partr-dge, a clueless and offensive radio presenter. Coldplay performed all their classic hits (eg. “Clocks”, “The Speed of Sound”, “Beautiful World”). It was my first time watching Chris M perform; I got a kick out of his silly stage dancing and was very impressed with his piano playing. But, for me, the highlight of the evening was Chris M’s exchange with “Alan Partr-dge”: a diatribe against the commercial nature of X-Mas followed by his summary of the Christ child’s birth as per the Bible, concluding with a duet of “Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth”. Just like his commitment towards Kids Company, Chris M’s performance of the classic Christmas song was sincere and grounding amidst all the frenzied holiday shopping and seasonal festivities.

“The Magnets”

I admit it: I’m a big fan of the American sitcom “Glee” which perpetrates itself as a low-brow comedy that in fact celebrates (and indoctrinates viewers into) a cappella sing song. “Glee” introduced me to classic rock bands like Fleetwood Mac and Journey, convinced me that Gwyneth P actually is a good actress capable of humor, and meets my needs for musical dramady inbetween West End shows. So I looked forward to seeing “The Magnets”, an all-male a cappella group, Friday night at the Leicester Square Theatre. Unfortunately, although “The Magnets” are professional singers who also happen to dance and dress well, I wasn’t much impressed with the evening’s programme. Highlights included Lenny K’s “Are you gonna go my way”, a Blondie medley, Elvis P’s “All Shook Up” and the opening song, Blur’s “Girls and Boys”.

Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club

Tonight we visited the Royal Albert Hall where we saw the Buena Vista Social Club perform many of their popular hits as well as covers of classic instrumental music. The band was great but what I most appreciated was the design of the Royal Albert Hall – it’s such a well-thought out space and the natural light in the is especially lovely on a spring evening.

“The Beatles Philharmonic Tribute”

These last two weeks at work have been intense for both of us. Plus, with our visas about to expire, we had to take our “Life in the UK” exams so that we qualify for perm residency/citizenship. Last night we kicked off a long weekend by attending “The Beatles Philharmonic Tribute” at the Royal Albert Hall. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra played classics like “Ticket to Ride”, “Help!”, “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da!”, and “I am the Walrus”. There wasn’t a single song we didn’t know, and judging from all the clapping, singing and dancing I think it was true for the majority of the audience.

 

BBC Proms

For my b-day celebration we went to the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall where the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra played a programme which included  Wagner’s Rienzi (overture) and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major. After a stroll through Soho we concluded the evening with a hazelnut & pistachio gelato.

Kid Rock and Bon Jovi at the O2 Arena

Twenty years ago I was invited to a Bon Jovi concert but it took surviving adolescence, moving to London and reaching adulthood to finally see him and Richie Sambora in concert. Kid Rock opened for Bon Jovi at the O2 Arena last night – it was my first time at the venue and I was appropriately impressed. It has AC, many restaurants, a roller-skating rink, rock museum, shopping and a cinema. Funnily enough, the arena and Kid Rock’s performance were the highlights of the evening even though it was Bon Jovi which drew us there that evening.

I’m not familiar with Kid Rock’s music, but I hoped he would sing “Picture”, the duet he sang with Sheryl Crow, which he did with his back-up singer, a talented and expressive yet full-figured woman. I left the concert a converted fan of Kid Rock – his back-up singers and band members look like “ordinary people”, musicians that have made performance their trade, rather than the runway-model types that lip synch or pretend they play instruments. Plus, in just under an hour, Kid Rock played the piano, drums, guitar, sang and spun (while taking a shot and smoking a cigar) with a fluency that suggested that his image undermines his actual music talents. Along with demonstrating his ability to play a wide range of musical instruments, his set was a versatile one, ranging from rock to rap, hip hop to country.

But what I loved most about watching and listening to Kid Rock perform was that he sang, danced and played like it was his last concert on earth. He was energized and present throughout his performance. Some other songs I loved were his covers of “Everyday People” and the tune he concluded with, “Sweet Home Alabama”. “Everyday People” speaks to the fact that everyone is different, pointing out a paradox that what makes us unique makes us ordinary. “Sweet Home Alabama” provokes a type of regional nostalgia for the South while containing a tinge of political awareness.

Whereas Kid Rock was sincere, Bon Jovi was slick. The former’s hair and clothes were drenched in sweat whereas the latter looked like he was fresh from the salon even forty-five minutes into singing in a packed stadium. However, it was great singing along to Bon Jovi classics (“Shot Through the Heart”, “Born to Be My Baby”, etc.) with thousands of fans who were more like me: there to celebrate the past life of living as a simple youth in the eighties.

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Last night we walked to the Royal Festival Hall on the Southbank where we listened to the London Philharmonic Orchestra perform a programme of Spanish music. Composers included Debussy, Lalo, Strauss and Ravel. In keeping with the evening’s Spanish theme and our recent sojourn to Madrid, we concluded the night with tapas at one of my favorite restaurants in London, El Pirata.

Seb I. at Scala

It was great catching up with Seb, a friend from NYU, and see his band rock at Scala last night.

“A tribute to Frank and Ella”

Thursday night we attended Cadogan Hall’s “A tribute to Frank and Ella”. It took a while for M to come around to Big Band American music, and when he did I was relieved. We had a Frank S. impersonator sing at our wedding and we often play a collection of Louis A. and Ella F.’s duets in the background. The music programme at Cadogan Hall had some of our favorites: “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, “Stompin’ At The Savoy”, “Come Fly With Me” and “Don’t Be That Way”.