Until recently I thought Bat for Lashes was a goth girl who played cello. Turns out she isn't. My bad. I have no idea how I came to think that. Is there some cello-playing goth girl out there who I could be confusing her with?
I saw her in concert last night and it was good. She has a good voice and some potent songs. Her stage presence is an ethereal kind of grace that leads to worshipful devotion from her fans. She gratefully accepted their adulation and seemed engaged with the music and crowd. The problem was her band, a dishevelled group of hipsters who looked and sounded like they love Amnesiac-era Radiohead. While she rode a roller coaster of theatricality and drama, they were content to noodle on moogs and drum machines behind her. Very competent, but a little lifeless. Remember that Radiohead actually rocks too, guys. The result was that the quiet subtle parts were well crafted. I was impressed at how sparse five musicians playing together could sound. However, when she started reaching for the heights, the band left her hanging. Never mind turning to 11, these guys barely made it past 6.
Troublingly, the concert was moved at the last minute from Apolo to a theatre across the street. Apolo was shut down by the city due to vague structural issues. I should be glad that local authorities are looking out for my well-being, but I don't trust them. Ours is a city government that is keen to shutter music venues while letting work crews tunnel under its largest tourist attraction despite warnings of possible collapse. I fear that Barcelona's best concert hall may be history. I'm glad I got a chance to play there before it died.
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