The influence of her time in America has been the aspect of Short Movie, Laura Marling's fifth album, to attract the widest comment. This was reinforced by the projected backdrop of a Californian Desert last night, almost certainly a reference to Joshua Tree which features in the lyrics of Easy. Yet, its importance has been over emphasised. Bluesy Americana had already imbued her work, and the transatlantic drawl in her singing voice, which some found affected, seems to have diluted on her return to these shores. Her distinctive performance style is quintessentially British, or more specially southern English. Laura herself alluded to this restraint when she contrasted her lack of chatter with the very northern, extrovert Mancunian Guy Garvey, whom she described as the king of on-stage banter.
Some are distracted by the (irrelevant) issue of Laura's aristocratic background, but her fans find the modest, shy interaction endearing. After a rendition of Howl from her new album, she launched straight into the masterly opening sequence from Once I Was An Eagle, a medley I regard as her finest work to date. Laura then thanked the audience for remaining silent for 21 minutes: the atmosphere at her gigs is not dissimilar from that at classical concerts. The audience gently swayed, but remained largely passive. Some reviewers have misunderstood this silence, suggesting that Laura needs to loosen up somewhat. In fact, there is intense passion and energy in both her songs and musicianship. I was again staggered by her virtuoso guitar playing, whether acoustic or now also electric, but it's her voice that is most remarkably expressive instrument, stretched to the upper and lower limits of its range.
I wonder how many in the audience were aware that this voice appears on the support act Gill Landry's third album, released in March. Laura duets with the Old Crow Medicine Show veteran on the song Take This Body, though at Albert Hall he was joined only by a fiddle player. Alas, none of the attention given to the main act was evident here: his sensitive, beautiful performance was almost downed out by chatter, reverberating around the cavernous venue. I received a considerable response to a Tweet I posted about this, not only from the artist, but from several followers relaying similar experiences. Surprisingly though, one person defended the right to talk through acts, on the grounds he had the ability to concentrate on the music at the same time as a conversation. Perhaps it takes some longer than others to reach the realisation of how intimately the effects of our actions are linked to others, and of our responsibility to respect musicians baring their soul for often scant recognition.
Some might also be surprised that Laura Marling, barefoot on stage, never straying far from her microphone, is able to command large venues. It's true songs such as False Hope are more assertive and punchy, making use of her expanded instrumental colours. Yet her band, a double bass player, guitarist, and drummer, stayed largely in the background, and it's Laura's aloof, reserved yet magnetic charisma that held the hall spellbound. Perhaps her time alone in America has given her a greater sense of inner confidence to remain herself; the lyrics are as ambivalent as ever, and her persona aloof. There were times when I missed the intimacy of January's show at the front of a tiny venue in Hebden Bridge, though this felt like a fuller flowering of her genius, over a longer 90 minute time span. Laura remains one of my favourite performers, being so absorbing, expressive, and emotional: there is such a remarkable tension in the air during her shows.
Set List
Howl
Walk Alone
Take the Night Off
I Was an Eagle
You Know
Breathe
I Feel Your Love
How Can I
What He Wrote
Rambling Man
Love Be Brave
False Hope
Master Hunter
Strange
The Muse
Sophia
Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)
Blues Run the Game (Jackson C. Frank cover)
Daisy
Worship Me
Short Movie
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