James Blake - Borderline, London - February 4th 2011 (Live Review)
Wednesday, 09 February 2011
Written by Hayley Taylor
Compere and XFM new music guru, John Kennedy, introduces tonight’s sold out gig as ‘The Hottest Ticket in Town’ – as if we didn’t already know. The Borderline in London rarely sees a crowd as busy as tonight; everyone is restless and the anticipation in the room is unmistakable.
The elusive James Blake and his band take to the stage in an awkward and modest manner. “Next big thing? No pressure yeah?” – the classically trained pianist and newly crowned prince of the dub step scene is clearly overwhelmed.
But the 22-year-old hits his comfort zone as soon as his fingers touch the keys and begins with album opener ‘Unluck’. The overexcited crowd is instantly silenced, as are any cynics.
A short but intense set, James Blake confirms why his name has been on the lips of the underground London music scene and been hyped by much of the music industry for the past year.
‘Limit To Your Love’, the track that propelled him into the public eye and onto radio playlists, is played early on and recognised within two bars. The Feist cover is a crowd pleaser and with heads bobbing, it’s clear that this is the most commercial and accessible track of the set.
The highlight of the night is without doubt ‘I Never Learnt To Share’ on which Blake applies the distorted vocal layering technique, used in many of his tracks, to his live performance. He begins by recording the opening line and then looping, repeating it over itself again and again. Building up over three minutes to a climax of bass and organs that causes a shuddering, almost deafening bass that shakes and resonates into every corner of the underground venue. Every person feels the music worm its way through their body making every hair standing on end and being unable to utter a word.
But he’s not a purely electronic artist – tracks like ‘Why Don’t You Call Me’ and ‘Measurements’ are stripped back and focus solely on using his voice as the instrument, with hints of Bon Iver and Antony and the Johnsons. His contrasts of silence and trembling bass combined with soulful vocals make you hold your breath, give you goose bumps and stir emotions you didn’t realise you could feel.
James Blake invites a new and curious audience into the world of experimental new music; this is an exciting time and he is leading the way. He’s not going to fill stadiums with this album, but he has garnered a huge enough audience through the masses of critical appreciation and been given a huge stepping stone to becoming one of the UK’s most important new artists.
One To Watch? Yes. Next Big Thing? Not quite.
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But the 22-year-old hits his comfort zone as soon as his fingers touch the keys and begins with album opener ‘Unluck’. The overexcited crowd is instantly silenced, as are any cynics.
