Bat For Lashes at The Forum

Bat For Lashes
Sylver Tongue
The Forum, 29 October 2012
Going to see Bat For Lashes play a hometown show on a cold, rainy night just before Halloween somehow couldn't be more perfect. Natasha Khan's music always has had an other worldly feel but the new album, The Haunted Man, is even spookier than before. Stripped away of too many fanciful embellishments, it's a startlingly beautiful album and I was excited about experiencing it live.
The stage setting was less ornate than the last time I saw her live but reflected the sparser sound of the album perfectly, with the band looking like they were playing outside among grey rocks. Khan herself though looked as glamorous as ever, wearing a floor-length black and white striped brocade gown which not only looked incredibly striking but made her natural dance moves look all the more graceful and elegant. And tonight she danced a lot, which much of the new material freeing her up from her instruments allowing her to wander the stage and swirl her long skirt while singing. Starting off with the album opener, Lilies, the dreamy vocals contrasting beautifully with the pulsating bass, she beamed as she sang "thank god, I'm alive" and we were in no doubt she means it. Part of her happiness is down to being back home in London ("I got to sleep in my own bed last night!" she tells us excitedly) and the fact that "there's about a hundred of my family here tonight". She even dedicates new song Marilyn to her mum (with the audience responding with a loud "Aww" in unison, amusingly enough) and it sounds more vibrant and meaningful than ever before.
The whole show is geared around the excellent new album and there's no doubt that the tracks feel even stronger live, with songs like Horses Of The Sun, A Wall and Rest Your Head benefiting from the sound and atmospherics of the venue, with the latter number in particular becoming dancier and full of rhythm. If the audience hadn't been so mesmerised by Khan herself maybe they would have even been inspired to follow her lead and dance themselves, as it was everyone was respectively attentive, which to be fair was actually pretty nice. The stand-out moment came though with Laura, featuring just Khan and her pianist, her voice loud and clear sending shivers as she belted out "you're the train that crashed my heart, you're the glitter in the dark". There was a stunned silence throughout, and as Khan became even more immersed in the song, the crowd seemed hynoptised by the power of it all. At the end the roar of the applause was thunderous and lasted for ages. It was truly a magnificent moment and demonstrated what an incredible song Laura is. For me it's the best song of the year.
Older songs weren't forgotten either, with old favourites like What's A Girl To Do?, Glass and Pearl's Dream sounding as good as ever. Travelling Woman, featuring Khan alone on her piano was particularly spellbinding and I don't think I will ever not be completely won over by the cool fast harpsichord and marching drums on Horse And I. The encore was a wonderful mixture of both old and new with Khan using an old vintage radio to help recreate the chorus-like backing vocals on The Haunted Man, rising it above her head triumphantly, like some warrior queen (I was also impressed at how strong she was to hold it there so still for so long without even a quiver) before ending with her most famous song, Daniel, perhaps her most mainstream pop song but still miles above most things you hear on the radio. Smiling, lovely and graceful throughout, it's easy to see why Khan is so beloved by her fans and even without the theatrics she is stronger live than ever. A really fantastic show.
Also great was the opening act, Sylver Tongue which is basically Charlotte Hatherley's new 80s-inspired electro-pop band. Although Hatherley is probably most famous for being the guitarist in Ash (she was also part of Natasha Khan's touring band for a while too and last time I saw Bat For Lashes she was there playing guitar), I've been a fan of her hugely underrated solo work for some time. Sylver Tongue isn't actually that far removed from her solo records except the guitars are replaced with synthesizers (something she had been experimenting with on her last couple of albums anyway) but all the brilliant pop tunes and strange and cool twists and turns in her music are still there. Her image though is pretty different and it's certainly striking: her hair coiffed into a mohawk style and a short cape that looks like it's made from fox tails is draped around her shoulders, making her look like a futuristic warrior from a sci-fi movie. Her band sounded great, although the audience seemed indifferent, but I must say it was most thrilling when she moved away from her keyboards, swung around her SG, which she had been wearing over her shoulder like a weapon on her back, and began to wail on her guitar. She really is a fantastic guitarist and while I do really like her new direction I hope she doesn't give up her primary instrument altogether because she is still pretty awe-inspiring when she rocks out too.

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