Major Americana / bluegrass man and Old Crow Medicine Show, songwriter Gill Landry is supporting Laura on this tour. A fabulous 30minute set (apart from the audience noise) set the tone for the evening. Its' a shame that many people in the audience didn't actually know what they were missing when it was staring them in face, obviously during the midpoint of many many conversations!
The stage backdrop for Laura Marling and here band has a desert (Mojave?) landscape, and as she walks on, picks up the national steel guitar and launches in 'Howl', the first track from the new album, the effect is nothing short of mesmerising. The band join her on stage quietly and just seamlessly join into the song which moves pretty much without pause though to four songs from 'Once I was an Eagle'
The lion's share of songs comes from the new album 'Short Movies' and a fair chunk of 'Once I was an Eagle'. An acoustic guitar only makes an occasional appearance during the set as the National Steel and electric guitars take prominence. It's not that any reinvention was required for Laura, it's just on this tour you can witness an artist taking her art form to a totally different level. That stay in LA seems to have worked wonders.
The band were tight and happy, even a few humorous moments like when Laura thought she was witnessing someone in the audience climbing on the shoulders of someone else "A first for a Laura Marlin concert" only to realise it was a guy taking his jumper off
The ninety minutes of the set whizzed by to the point where Laura explained as normal that she does not do encores although, the previous night she actually did (at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the Southbank) to please her Dad, when she played ' Daisy' which is her Dad's favourite song from the Short Movies session (it didn't make the album) and Laura also played that song for us tonight.
The set ended with Worship Me and Short Movie and then they were gone and the venue pretty much emptied within ten minutes.
What an incredible show, Laura Marling has introduced herself to rock n roll and added yet another string to her already impressive bow.So if you can get to see a show on this tour, then do so, you could just end up amazed.
Pete
Set-list
Howl
Take the Night Off
I Was an
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
Daisy
Worship Me
Short Movie