Bedoc

Bat For Lashes
Christine & the Queens Meltdown
Queen Elizabeth Hall
London
UK
15th June 2023

Lineage: SP-CMC-2s (AT-831s) (modded) > SP-SPSB-11 Battery Box > Roland R-07 > 24Bit / 44.1 khz > amadeus pro > 16 bit / 44.1 khz > xld > FLAC
taper: rayrad


01. intro
02. At Your Feet
03. Letter To My Daughter
04. The Dream Of Delphi
05. chat
06. The Hunger
07. Mountains
08. Desert Man
09. chat
10. Horse And I
11. Deep Sea Diver
12. chat
13. Daniel
14. chat
15. What's A Girl To Do
16. Trophy
17. chat
18. Tahiti
19. Siren Song
20. chat
21. Kinds In The Dark / True Colors
22. Close Encounters
23. crowd
24. chat
25. Sleep Alone
26. Glass
27. chat
28. Laura


Natasha Khan - vocals / piano / keys / floor tom
Violeta Vicci - violin / viola / floor tom / vocals


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so we were quite excited for this one...

first BFL shows in the UK for three and a half years

and almost 17 years since we first saw natasha thumping her stick on the folkey dokey stage at green man

there is, it has to be said, a pretty substantial 'interpretive dance' element to the show

something that usually has me digging my fingernails into the arm rests and desperately stifling a wail of horror

but somehow it all just works tonight

i say somehow, but really i know exactly how

because it isn't in the slightest bit po-faced

NK is taking it 100% seriously - but also seems to absolutely know that it's ridiculous

which is a deeply endearing attitude

whether she's making 'pregnant belly' gestures on 'letter to my daughter' or standing on a polystyrene rock for 'close encounters', the intention is entirely pure

but usually followed by a grin and a giggle and the recognition that she's doing it all in a body sock

anyway, dancing or no dancing, what remains is that voice

the range, the control and the feeling

it's knocked me on my backside from the first - and does it again and again tonight

the evening opens with three songs from forthcoming new record, 'dream of delphi' - written during lockdown, around the emotional and physical impact of the birth of her daughter

these are delivered solo - to pre-recorded backing tracks

the dancing leaves natasha puffed but delighted - and she then introduces violeta vicci, the only other musician on stage tonight

there are a lot of older songs - four each from the first two records

and, for one moment, i think we're even going to get the original hallowed stick itself!

sadly (for me, at least) it turns out to be a cauldron-stirring visual prop during 'trophy', rather than the percussive weapon of the early days

but it's a minor disappointment in what is a transportingly wonderful evening

i see a lot of music - and love a lot of artists

but there aren't many one-offs

and natasha khan is indisputably a one-off

enjoy
ray
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