Bat For Lashes
It might have been a bit on the short end, but the saying always puts quality ahead of quantity.
And for British singer Natasha Khan also know as Bat For Lashes, her 85-minute set at a sold-out Great American Music Hall last Saturday evening was a quality-filled spectacle on many levels, all with the intent to take her followers on a mystical medieval journey while playing the role of an electro-tinged minstrel.
Hecuba
First off, the very experimental Hecuba took the stage and played a few off their latest release, Paradise. Dressed in a one piece unitard, lead vocalist Isabelle Albuquerque jumped, danced, and kind of freaked out on stage for a good half-hour while everyone tried to interpret what was going on. Entertaining nonetheless.
Bat For Lashes
From the shimmering glitter streamer backdrop to the numerous branches and dolls around the stage, Bat For Lashes, touring behind this year’s Two Suns album, brought a unique style to San Francisco.
Supported by a tight three-piece band, Bat For Lashes opened with the dreamy and hushed Glass before the acoustic trip-pop hues of Sleep Alone. Both songs got decent responses but Natasha Khan was happy to go straight into the following track.
Bat For Lashes
Probably the first true glimpse of her range came during Siren Song, a rich, airy, orchestral number which had the performer going from Kate Bush range to Dusty Springfield with no problems whatsoever, and garnered a louder ovation.
The performer has a knack for crafting fun, carefree electro-pop nuggets such as the toe-tapping Horse and I from 2007′s Fur and Gold release and especially on Sarah, which got the entire crowd singing along.
Bat For Lashes
Just over an hour in, Bat For Lashes was already closing up shop with the groove-filled Pearl’s Dream. With the floor filling up with people and all on their feet, she took a bow, said thanks and left the stage.
Considering how the main set finished on such a high, the encore’s gentle, melancholic tandem of Prescilla and Moon and Moon might have caught some off guard. Well she brought that high back with her second encore by finally performing Daniel, much to everyone’s delight.
Bat For Lashes
Whether you’re prepared for it or not, Bat For Lashes is going to be pretty huge in coming months. With her vocals always on key and her demanding stage presence, she is one of the better live shows you could end up seeing this year. It was for me.
(if you are a regular reader, you might notice that we have eliminated the “Download” button. This is due to the new WordPress 2.8 and all it’s glory for messing with my alignment. A small change but a necessary one in my opinion.)