Last night I ended up going to a concert that was something really...different – compared to my usual rock gigs that is – and unique as I saw Jose Gonzalez performing alongside a Swedish orchestra. I have listened to Metallica and Scorpions attempting this in the past but JG is a different case as he is a classical guitar player, a tranquil performer. Aaaaanyway, to the point now; I would do it again if I had the chance.
First things first though, Little Scream’s Laurel opened for Jose and she wasn’t bad at all – considering Little Scream released their first album yesterday, and the fact she was severely jetlagged travelling from Chicago a few hours before the gig. Her voice was something between PJ Harvey and Bat For Lashes however her innovative way of performing was what earned her a warm applause at the end of her 30-minute playlist.
Anticipating Jose Gonzalez’s performance you can’t fail to notice what a great venue The Barbican is. I wish I could see Moby doing his acoustic set there a couple of years ago instead of the horrible Shaftesbury theatre. Perfect acoustic settings and a great view of the stage from everywhere in the venue. Cosmic!
Jose Gonzalez appeared a few minutes past 21:00 and performed the first couple of songs alone (In our nature & Crosses...or so) but nobody expected what was about to come. Twenty orchestra members joined him on stage and enhanced his songs, giving them a soundtrack sound – imagine now Teardrops and Heartbeats with a whole set of strings, cymbals and the whole “works”...just wow) – without overpowering the gentle sound of his classical guitar.
You also couldn’t fail to notice The Gothenburg String Theory’s conductor, PC/Nackt, long-haired and bearded, dressed in a bright red t-shirt, head banging frequently like a hippie on acid, attracting all the attention from the crowd \m/ :P. The only downside of this collaboration was the length of the songs. Adding long orchestral intros and outros to Gonzalez’s usually 3 to 5-minute songs, ended up shortening severely the playlist. I don’t know about the rest of the crowd but I really wanted to hear more songs.
It was a really nice gig in overall and I’m really looking forward to the next – could be a cover band at The Horn in a couple of weeks - until then:
Thank you very much Emma for the tickets, I know you really wanted to be there so I hope you’ll get the chance next time.
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