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An intimate gig in a grand venue, the quirky folk pickings on offer tonight should provide some curious entertainment, as the refurbished Roundhouse seems better suited to a more ostentatious line up. Perhaps it is in order to fill this large space that the organisers have decided on a strange curatorial conceit- each act will play with each other in differing configurations instead of four separate acts following each other. Unfortunately for those who have come to see Vetiver play a few tracks from their last album or Adem run through a set of his songs, this means that instead we get some kind of folky love-in where you get bits of everyone and no proper set from anyone.
In addition, it seems that Juana Molina is featured most heavily in everyone’s line up and this makes the whole night drag a little as they all end up sounding very alike. Adem’s performance with Vetiver suffers in particular as it is less stripped down than usual and therefore less affecting, though an overheard comparison with the Banana Splits may be a little unfair. Highlights during the evening are those that stay truest to the performers original versions- JM’s scatting over crazy organ loops and tribal beats, Vashti Bunyan’s winsome melodies.
Winding up with a Stones cover by the whole crazy gang, one is reminded of a 1960’s TV band with an older Marianne Faithful on vocal duties. Thoughts of the Travelling Wilburys aside, the feeling of disappointment is hard to ignore when walking out past the merchandise and seeing the many great albums these artists have produced but feeling like you’ve heard none of them this evening.
