Last night, the Village Underground was graced with an emotional experience through James Blake's moody falsettos, delicate piano keys and blaring synths.
The 6 foot 5 singer-songwriter was barely noticeable as he sat behind a keyboard on the stage of a smoke-filled room. Accompanied with a guitarist and a drummer, the show came shortly after the release of his album ‘The Colour In Anything’. He awkwardly introduced himself before going straight in with his second album's single 'Life Round Here'.
The audience immediately roared as they were met with punchy drums and Blake soulfully repeating "part time love is the life round here". A tonal shift followed afterwards, with the performance of songs such as ‘Choose Me’, ‘My Willing Heart’ and ‘The Colour In Anything’. A tender and gawkish side to the singer was revealed as he attempted to make a joke. “So did you like the album teaser?”. After a weak response from the crowd he replied, “Only one cheer? Well that’s encouraging”.
Blake’s voice was haunting. Looming softly over everyone, the atmosphere was tense yet peaceful at the same time. As he moved between new and old songs, the mood constantly changed. ‘I Hope My Life’ mystically descended into ‘Voyeur’, which comprised explosive dance melodies and indulging flashing lights. Being the high moment of the night, ‘Always’ slowed the mood down again, preparing the crowd for what was to come next, ‘The Wilhelm Scream’.
Blake kindly thanked his Dad, James Litherland, for creating the song. After giving a shout out to the drummer and guitarist, he tricked us into thinking the night would be ending with ‘Retrograde’. As many people started to walk towards the exit, the final encore, ‘Modern Soul’ came from nowhere. Blake was back on stage, electrifying his audience one last time.
