‘We’re simmering’ “Like a bee to some honey…..you got an addiction” we sure did, addicted insects, buzzing round the aura of Liv Warfield. The Unexpected singer is on a stratospheric rise, from an Illinois upbringing to touring with Prince and his band New Power Generation, and now solo. Along with playing Live on Jimmy Fallon, there is no stopping a ...
‘A musical funhouse’ A vague haze fills the Barbican as if someone had a furtive ciggy right before everyone filed in. The dark shapes of the multitudinous BBC Symphony Orchestra are broken up by a glittering jacket here and there like scattered gemstones – appropriate for a night filled with moments of bright beauty. Lit by four large, glass globes ...
‘Expansive talent’ London Symphony Orchestra and Barbara Hannigan Barbara Hannigan. Photograph: Marco Borggreve / courtesy Barbican Surrounded by the masked, pointed bows of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) at the Barbican, on strides the imposing figure of Barbara Hannigan. Hannigan is celebrating her recent appointment as the LSO’s associate artist for the next three years. What wonders will they bring? ...
‘Life in the old dog yet’ Surrounded by the golden stuccoed and sweeping grandeur of the Shoreditch Town Hall the evening of uplifting music and youthful talent is surprisingly spartan. Simple orange lights never change allowing for the music to sing… for itself. Rebecca Miller looks very much like a chic circus ringleader conducting the red and black orchestra in ...
‘A riotous explosion of infusion, colour and reinvention’ As (seemingly) the whole of London’s Ukrainian population squeeze In the Barbican Hall I find myself pleasantly astonished. DakhaBrakha may technically be a folk group and wear traditionally Ukrainian costume but there’s nothing old-fashioned or conservative about what I’m about to witness. Created as a theatre project in 2004 Marko Halanevych (vocals, ...
‘Marathon concert offers an eye-opening view of music and humanity’ Like the Noisettes song 24 hours, a lot can change in a day. We all have the same allocation (myself and Beyoncé, for example) but it’s how you use them that counts. That’s why when I saw the Barbican was putting on a 24-hour concert starting last Saturday night, I thought ‘Sure, do ...
‘An undeniable success’ Two prestigious talents brought together for an evening dedicated to love of the Violin. Four composers exhibit their different visions for the instrument as Maxim Vengerov’s fingers dance along the strings and Simon Trpčeski’s glide along the keys. The crowd pulled in by the amassed talent is predictability large, and the muffled (masks) chatter feels comforting after ...
‘Long live the queen of folk!’ As a light rain pitter-patters outside, the Barbican hall is filled with an older (yet trendy) crowd for a celebration of the grand dame of British folk music, Shirley Collins. We are reminded of the genre’s unique place in our history, and of its soft, sad, and sweet ability to capture the experience of ...
‘Kit’s trilling voice laps at our eardrums’ A little late and flustered I bumbled into a full (yet distanced) Barbican Hall, settling in just as Kate Stables (we assume the eponymous Kit) and the band arrive on stage. Surrounded by a younger, slightly hairier audience I am indoctrinated into the soft-cult-like experience of a This is Kit gig. Being featured heavily ...
‘I’m now a full-blown Weller wannabe’ Looking every inch ‘The Modfather’, Paul Weller, standing in the Barbican’s echoey foyer, introduces us to an evening of himself. Weller, who shot to fame with bands The Jam and The Style Council before shining as a solo artist, looks as cool as ever, with impossibly straight white hair cropped brutally at his shoulders. ...