It was always going to be a come-down from Glastonbury to the diminutive venue that is, Bannermans. But I was excited to see such a high-profile artist as Laura Marling, at such an intimate venue.
Laura Marling was shielded by her entourage through the cramped, perspiring crowd and taken onto the tiny stage at the front of the vault on the Cowgate. She opened her fifty-minute long set with an acoustic-version of Shine which mellowed the atmosphere after a dynamic set from support band, Mumford and Sons.
Mumford and Sons set up the evening of folk music with lead singer, Marcus Johnstone’s gritty vocals and fervent lyrics. Mumford and Sons displayed their skill as musicians in their ardent love song White Blank Page; which admittedly was the highlight of my evening.
Marling took to stage shortly after and played as laconically as ever, staring into the distance as if mesmerised by her poignant lyrics.
My Manic and I was performed acutely with support from Marling’s full band, in which Marling finally released her hidden passion and sung with an intense tone of vexation in parts.
Marling continued to demonstrate her exceptional vocals in new tracks Blackberry Stone and Rebecca, which was applauded by the audience as vigorously as her well-known tunes.
Night Terror was performed passionately and led straight into the encore which included Cross My Fingers, Crawled Out of the Sea and Marling’s infamous extended live version of Alas I Cannot Swim. Marling coyly thanked her audience and promised that she would be back in a week to enjoy the rest of the festival with them.
The response was rapturous even though the flow of the set was inhibited by the constant re-tuning of guitars due to the extreme heat. But it must be acknowledged that Laura Marling has comfortable seated herself as an unforgettable live act, in both large venues such as the Glastonbury Park Stage, and Edinburgh’s Bannermans.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment