|
| Info | Setlist | ||||||||||
|
01. Brennið Þið Vitar 02. Earth Intruders 03. Hunter 04. Pagan Poetry 05. Unravel 06. The Pleasure Is All Mine 07. Where Is The Line 08. I See Who You Are 09. Jóga 10. Desired Constellation 11. Army Of Me 12. Triumph Of A Heart 13. 5 Years 14. Cover Me 15. Wanderlust 16. Hyperballad 17. Pluto encore 18. Anchor Song 19. Declare Independence |
||||||||||
| Pictures (email) Observe that there usually is a NO camera policy at these concerts. | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Reviews |
| Send in your own review here! |
| COMPLETELY IN A WORLD OF HER OWN Bjork arrived at Plymouth Pavilions in a blaze of glory amid a fanfare of brass, fluttering flags and banging drums. As the Icelandic queen of avant garde pop, Bjork is never one to do things by halves and she certainly didn't on Tuesday night, giving the Pavilions crowd one of the most sonically and visually stunning shows ever staged at the venue. Marching on in procession, to a traditional Icelandic-inspired introductory piece, first came her 12-strong all-female brass section, dressed head to toe in matching multi-coloured flowing robes, sporting luminous head bands, pompoms in their hair with flag-like plums protruding from the tops of their heads. Then, following her more soberly-clad regular band that included keyboard players and percussionists - not a guitarist or bass player in site, mind - came the lady herself, looking more like an other-worldly elf than a regular pop star, resplendent in a floaty knee-length dress, but sadly without the multi-coloured pompom headgear that has been a much-mentioned visual feature of the tour to date. Huge heraldic flags provided the backdrop to the set, which, together with the billowing brass section, gave a medieval appearance to the show. They were in stark contrast to the plasma screens, state-of-the-art keyboards and general contemporary gismos that dominated much of the rest of the stage. This juxtaposition of ancient and modern perfectly reflected the feel of the music. Earth Intruders, the first track of new album Volta, provided a fitting opener, the ground-rumbling drum beats and belting brass providing a kind of tribal excitement, over which Bjork's wailing vocal soared, characteristically unrestricted by melody or metre. Songs like Hunter, with a slower eerie sound, the chiming Pagan Poetry and the sublimely beautiful Unravel, complete with brass section doubling as choir on backing vocals - had a distinctly Scandinavian vibe, blending the traditional sound with futurist hip hop beats and electronica. By total contrast Hyperballad and Pluto provided an intense, rave-like climatic finale, fuelled by criss-crossing lazers for added dramatic effect, and the militant and hugely emotive Declare Independence the greatest rabble-rouser of all, peppered by tickertape explosions into the crowd, came as the breathtaking show-stopper. In an era where indie rock dominates it was truly refreshing, liberating even, to witness an artist who is obviously so completely unfettered by any of the rules and regulations of contemporary music-making. As she showed the appreciative Pavilions crowd, Bjork has created not just a genre, but a whole wonderful world of her own - simply amazing. /thisisplymouth.co.uk - 3915 |
| Bjork in Plymouth: superlative performance art Bjork established herself as a leading talent fifteen years ago, with her debut release, Debut. Her elliptical lyrics, exploring the big themes and her richly eclectic musicality - shifting effortlessly between dance beats and roots, Minimalism and jazz, as well as knowing pop and artrock - have long marked her out as a precious musician for grown-ups. Her six studio albums reveal a restless, morphing creativity. The first four are filleted on Greatest Hits, which repays repeat listening and careful scrutiny – every home should have one. So Tuesday’s Plymouth gig, on the short English leg of the Volta tour, was approached with keen anticipation: a rare chance to check out the poster girl of grown-up pop at first hand. Bjork didn’t disappoint. Her 90-minute show was superlative performance art. Interspersing Volta songs with classics from the back catalogue, Bjork treated the largely local audience – there were few signs of travelling hardcore in this far-flung location – to a spectacular show. The trademark vocals, ranging from intimate whisper to banshee howl, delivered the idiosyncratic songbook with a consistent force. From the opening bars, when she bounded onto stage like a dervish possessed, to the soaring finale when she led the West Country choir in “Declare Independence!”, she acted out her unique catalogue in dance as well as voice. In a lifetime’s gigging, you’d be lucky to see a more energetic, more committed performer. The show was an ambitious, complex theatrical production, with three keyboardists, a drummer and a horn section of 10, the Wonder Brass (nice touch, that). Plus costumes, flags, emblems, fire, laser show, confetti storm … the circus was in town … Bjork’s Plymouth show sounded and looked fabulous. But it all meant something, too. Working out what, exactly, will provide hours more fun. Musicality, originality, ideas, ambition, execution, charisma… the gel’s got it all. /Gerry Smith - 3914 |
| Rock royalty arrived at Plymouth Pavilions in a blaze of glory amid a fanfare of brass, fluttering flags and banging drums. As the Icelandic queen of avant guard pop, Bjork is never one to do things to do things by halves and she certainly didn’t on Tuesday night, giving the Pavilions crowd one of the most sonically and visually stunning shows ever staged at the venue. Marching on in procession, to a traditional Icelandic-inspired introductory piece, first came her twelve strong all-female brass section, dressed head to toe in matching multicoloured flowing robes, sporting luminous head bands, pompoms in their hair with flag-like plums protruding from the tops of their heads. Then, following her more soberly-clad regular band that included keyboard players and percussionists – not a guitarist or bass player in site, mind – came the lady herself, looking more like an other-worldly elf, than a regular pop star, resplendent, in a floaty knee-length dress, but sadly without the multicoloured pompom headgear that has been a much-mentioned visual feature of the tour to date. Huge heraldic flags provided the back drop to the set, which, together with the billowing brass section gave a medieval appearance to the show, in stark contrast to the plasma screens, state-of-the-art keyboards and general contemporary gismology that dominated much of the rest of the stage. This juxtaposition of ancient and modern, perfectly reflected the feel of the music. Earth Intruders, the first track of new album Volta, provided a fitting opener, the ground-rumbling drum beats and belting brass providing a kind of tribal excitement, over which Bjork’s wailing vocal soared, characteristically unrestricted by melody or metre. Songs like Hunter, with a slower eerie sound, the chiming Pagan Poetry and the sublimely beautiful Unravel, complete with brass section doubling as choir on backing vocals – had a distinctly Scandinavian vibe, blending the traditional sound with futurist hip hop beats and electronica. By total contrast Hyperballad and Pluto provided an intense, rave-like climatic finale, fuelled by criss-crossing lazers for added dramatic effect and the militant and hugely emotive Declare Independence the greatest rabble-rouser of all, peppered by tickertape explosions into the crowd, came as the breathtaking show-stopper. In an era where indie rock dominates it was truly refreshing, liberating even, to witness an artist who is obviously so completely unfettered by any of the rules and regulations of contemporary music making. As she showed the appreciative Pavilions crowd, Bjork has created not just a genre, but a whole wonderful world of her own – simply amazing. /CLARE ROBINSON - 3905 |
| Where's the set list? /auketts - 3867 |
| Write a review | |
You must be logged in to Telegraph to enter a review. If you are having troubles logging in or posting, please email madwebcarpenters@gmail.com. |
Copyright 1995-2003 by Björk Overseas Ltd. All rights reserved. See our privacy and copyright statement for more information. |