REVIEW OF LAURA MARLING, GLASGOW ACADEMY - SATURDAY 10 MARCH 2011
This was a gig that I only sorted out a matter of hours beforehand. A text came through from a friend which said "Have several free tix for Laura Marling at Academy tonight if you're looking for a gig."
Given that this year is about trying things, I said yes. Mrs Villain came along as well for her debut gig of the year. Aldo however said no thank you....he's seem Ms Marling before and besides, Veronica Falls were in town.
The Carling Academy is my least favourite venue in Glasgow, mainly due to the appalling sound that bedevils most acts. I can now add a severe dislike of their bar prices (£12 for a cider, glass of wine and a vodka/diet coke) and the uselessness of their staff.
The tickets were gratis, so in a sense I shouldn't really grumble. They were for the unreserved balcony area waaaaay up high in this converted cinema. The seats we took were central just behind an area where folk would come upstairs from the bar with its ridiculous prices. Why such seats were empty soon became apparent as folk would just stand there blocking the views of those of us right behind them. Most of them maybe hung around for a few moments but there was one bloke who stood motionless for the whole gig, oblivious to the fact he was pissing folk off but free to do as he liked as the yellow-shirted staff acted as if he was invisible.
So to the gig.
We got there at 8pm just in time to see a solo singer say thank you and good night. So much for making the support act. Turns out that whoever he was, he was an additional support on the night. Just 5 minutes later, Canadian singer-songwriter Timber Timbre took to the stage. He bored me for the next 30 minutes. Yes he can sing, and yes he can play his guitar. But so can dozens of others whose only stage is a pitch in an tunnel in the London Underground system.
The main act came on around 9pm. She seemed tiny on the far away stage and she was surrounded by a group of musicians on pedestals, although it was so dark it was hard to make out how many - but I was soon able to count five other musos on stage.
All I knew beforehand about Laura Marling was that she had released three highly thought-off albums by the age of 22 that had many critics saying she was the lovechild of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. But what always put me off was her being bracketed with Mumford & Sons who I really cannot abide....this gig would be the first time I knowingly heard any of her songs.
It was a gig that started and ended with 5 or 6 songs played with the full band but had a middle section when it was just Laura and her guitar.
The middle part of the gig did give an indication what all the fuss was about. Particularly this track which was magnificent and had me clapping loudly:-
But when she was surrounded by the band, I was bored rigid. The sound didn't help....the double bass was inaudible and the cello was too far back in the mix. But even if it had been perfect I don;t think it would have mattered. It sounded like Keane.....really dull and nondescript and ideal as background for dinner parties. Soulless.
I've no idea why those behind Laura Marling want her to record and tour with a band of musos. Her voice and songwriting ability on their own should be more than good enough to have her hold the attention of a capacity audience, even in the cavernous space of the Academy.
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