Lamb 2013-03-02
Paradiso, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Set 1
[unknown]
[banter]
Butterfly Effect
[banter]
What Sound
Gabriel
Nobody Else
The Spectacle
Wise Enough
[banter]
God Bless
[banter]
Górecki
[encore break]
Lullaby
[banter]
Trans Fatty Acid
[banter]
Butterfly Effect
[banter]
What Sound
Gabriel
Nobody Else
The Spectacle
Wise Enough
[banter]
God Bless
[banter]
Górecki
[encore break]
Lullaby
[banter]
Trans Fatty Acid
Set 2
Set 3
Comment
Cross-linx is described by its organisers as an annual festival with "an
artistic mission to provide a programme of international, innovative artists
who inhabit the border area between classical music and avant-garde pop".
It's a lofty goal and some artists fit the bill better than others. As popular
as The National are, for example, it's hard to understand why they were picked
as the 2011 headliners for a festival with this one's philosophical bent. Or
the excellent Sharon Van Etten that same year, as another example.
After skipping 2012, the festival seems more on course this year to go beyond
merely providing good music to actually accomplish the underlying artistic
mission.
It's going to be a long evening. I hope to catch four, maybe five acts this
evening.
Given the programme, I predict that the Paradiso will have been converted to a
seated venue this evening, but the prediction turns out to be wrong. Well,
more seats means fewer punters and this travelling festival has already
managed to sell all of its tickets for Amsterdam.
First up are Lamb, one of two acts due to play in the main hall tonight. They
are joined this evening by the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, a fifteen-person-strong
string section.
The Paradiso occupies a place in Lamb's musical history as the site of their
last ever gig in 2004; last ever, that is, until the inevitable reunion. Bands
no longer break up, of course; they merely go on sabbatical.
Still, Lou Rhodes is keen to tell us that the announcement of the 2004
Paradiso shows as the band's last ever wasn't a cynical marketing ploy to
stimulate sales of the DVD that was filmed of the occasion. And it couldn't
have been, really, because it took Lamb a further seven years to even get
around to releasing the audio-visual document of those gigs.
I'm enjoying Lamb a lot. Their similarities with Massive Attack and Portishead
are well-documented and undeniable, but they have as much claim to the sound
of trippy beats and breathy vocals as anyone.
Lou Rhodes oozes stage presence. Combined with that voice, it's an
irresistibly sexy experience.
Andy Barlow, on the other hand, is a bit full of himself. He comes across as
something of a (pea)cock, and from the expression on the faces of a couple of
the Sinfonietta, I think they probably think so, too. It doesn't matter one
jot, though. Barlow has the beats down and of that there can be no doubt. And
you have to admire the man's enthusiasm for what he's doing.
As much as I'm digging the music, I want it to end on time. There's a gap of
only ten minutes scheduled after Lamb before Rachel Grimes starts tickling the
ivories down the road from here. It's going to be tight, even if things run on
time, which so often they don't.
And this occasion is no exception. The band finish their main set on time, but
then play an encore. Patrick Watson, the next and final artist scheduled to
play in the main hall this evening, isn't due to start for another hour, so
there's even time to extend the encore to two songs. Leaving now just wouldn't
feel right, so I stay.
As I turn off the recorder after Lamb's excellent set, it's 20:52. Grimes is
due to start playing in three minutes and it'll take me that long just to
reach the Paradiso's front door.
Oh well. Lamb were terrific, so I don't regret staying until the end. In fact,
'Trans Fatty Acid' was the absolute highlight of the set.
The quality of the recording is excellent. I had very few people in my
vicinity, save for a couple of unbelievably pig-ignorant shit-for-brains who
chatted during the quiet intros to a couple of the songs. You'll hear them
with headphones, but they're not too obtrusive over normal speakers.
artistic mission to provide a programme of international, innovative artists
who inhabit the border area between classical music and avant-garde pop".
It's a lofty goal and some artists fit the bill better than others. As popular
as The National are, for example, it's hard to understand why they were picked
as the 2011 headliners for a festival with this one's philosophical bent. Or
the excellent Sharon Van Etten that same year, as another example.
After skipping 2012, the festival seems more on course this year to go beyond
merely providing good music to actually accomplish the underlying artistic
mission.
It's going to be a long evening. I hope to catch four, maybe five acts this
evening.
Given the programme, I predict that the Paradiso will have been converted to a
seated venue this evening, but the prediction turns out to be wrong. Well,
more seats means fewer punters and this travelling festival has already
managed to sell all of its tickets for Amsterdam.
First up are Lamb, one of two acts due to play in the main hall tonight. They
are joined this evening by the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, a fifteen-person-strong
string section.
The Paradiso occupies a place in Lamb's musical history as the site of their
last ever gig in 2004; last ever, that is, until the inevitable reunion. Bands
no longer break up, of course; they merely go on sabbatical.
Still, Lou Rhodes is keen to tell us that the announcement of the 2004
Paradiso shows as the band's last ever wasn't a cynical marketing ploy to
stimulate sales of the DVD that was filmed of the occasion. And it couldn't
have been, really, because it took Lamb a further seven years to even get
around to releasing the audio-visual document of those gigs.
I'm enjoying Lamb a lot. Their similarities with Massive Attack and Portishead
are well-documented and undeniable, but they have as much claim to the sound
of trippy beats and breathy vocals as anyone.
Lou Rhodes oozes stage presence. Combined with that voice, it's an
irresistibly sexy experience.
Andy Barlow, on the other hand, is a bit full of himself. He comes across as
something of a (pea)cock, and from the expression on the faces of a couple of
the Sinfonietta, I think they probably think so, too. It doesn't matter one
jot, though. Barlow has the beats down and of that there can be no doubt. And
you have to admire the man's enthusiasm for what he's doing.
As much as I'm digging the music, I want it to end on time. There's a gap of
only ten minutes scheduled after Lamb before Rachel Grimes starts tickling the
ivories down the road from here. It's going to be tight, even if things run on
time, which so often they don't.
And this occasion is no exception. The band finish their main set on time, but
then play an encore. Patrick Watson, the next and final artist scheduled to
play in the main hall this evening, isn't due to start for another hour, so
there's even time to extend the encore to two songs. Leaving now just wouldn't
feel right, so I stay.
As I turn off the recorder after Lamb's excellent set, it's 20:52. Grimes is
due to start playing in three minutes and it'll take me that long just to
reach the Paradiso's front door.
Oh well. Lamb were terrific, so I don't regret staying until the end. In fact,
'Trans Fatty Acid' was the absolute highlight of the set.
The quality of the recording is excellent. I had very few people in my
vicinity, save for a couple of unbelievably pig-ignorant shit-for-brains who
chatted during the quiet intros to a couple of the songs. You'll hear them
with headphones, but they're not too obtrusive over normal speakers.
Sources
| SHNID | Date | Venue | City | State | Archive Identifier |
|---|
Created At
Tue Aug 13 2013 22:59:50 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Updated At
Tue Aug 13 2013 22:59:50 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
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