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| Info | Setlist | ||||||||||
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01. Pagan Poetry 02. 5 Years 03. Hunter 04. Desired Constellation 05. Unravel 06. Jóga 07. All Is Full Of Love 08. Heirloom 09. Generous Palmstroke 10. Nature Is Ancient 11. Hyperballad 12. It's In Our Hands 13. Nameless 14. An Echo, A Stain 15. Where Is The Line 16. Pluto encore 17. Scary 18. You've Been Flirting Again (Icelandic) 19. Isobel |
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| Pictures (email) Observe that there usually is a NO camera policy at these concerts. | |||||||||||
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| Reviews |
| Send in your own review here! |
| Just want to say am still completely overwhelmed at seeing Bjork live, loved every minute of the show, managed to get to the front for the last few songs but left my camera with my boyfriend so still upset that I got like five feet away but took no photos!!!!! anyway I can't wait till the next time it can't come too soon, your soul needs that kind of attention from time to time, I paid £95 for my ticket but would gladly pay more! Thankyou Bjork for making such an impact on peoples lives Thankyou /fluff - 876 |
| A fabulous evening. Just can't get the night out of my head and am now making arrangements to see her in Paris and LA too. Thank God for credit cards. I hadn't been to a proper gig for around 15 years and there's not really anyone else I would go out of my way to see live. Absolutely Bjorktastic. /JoolsTS - 226 |
| wow. i'd never seen bjork live, so i had no idea what to expect in terms of her stage presence, audience rapport, and so forth---but the entire evening was simply stunning and a kind of pure magic. to say nothing of her vocal intensity. all that dancing about on stage made me understand her comment re. 'dancer in the dark,' about how she felt like she was playing herself (maybe this was on charlie rose?). she must find music in everything. i bought 'homogenic' specifically because of some review which mentioned an 'unlistenable' song; every time since i've listened to 'pluto,' i've felt frustrated, edgy, kinetic, moved---basically that song has really impressed me, so it was thrilling to see/hear it live. loved those pyrotechnics, the visuals, and even the bright lights in my eyes (like the moment in a film where the person onscreen looks directly at you, those lights literally unsettle your position as a viewer and kind of draw you onto the stage; if only we hadn't been sitting in the upper mezzanine). 'unravel' and 'isobel' have to be two of my favorites (oh my, but they're all favorites, in one way or another), and 'crave/an echo, a stain' was so fantastically eerie. please, will that nameless experiment in live dubbing/mixing/looping be on her new album in some shape? that, i think, was the one that most stayed with me. as well as the gorgeous harp on 'generous palmstroke.' opening with 'pagan poetry' was a brilliant move. i have to say (in selfishness) that i wished her concert could have been longer---that said, i felt complete after leaving. my sister and i ranted for hours/days afterwards. an entirely hypnotic evening, and i will beg, borrow, or steal to see her again. thanks to everyone involved. . . . . . . . . except whoever told aphex twin he could do that to our ears. there's art, and then there's noise. for the record, i have actually listened to aphex twin, and i was intrigued by what i heard, but after that 2-hour torture session i won't be running out to buy an album (honestly i was surprised to find out that's who it was). and yes, i realize i could have left, but i wanted to see if it was going anywhere. it went. straight to the pain center of my brain. beginning and end were auditory-system-worthy, that mess in the middle was not. i'm all for experimentation, but that was just giving the finger to your audience. for shame. go bjork! /adeleda - 182 |
| I cried. Three times. Nuff said Herb (o_o) xx /herb2 - 161 |
| Both my girlfriend and myself were thrilled at being so close to a magical performance from Björk on Saturday.(I would have sent some amazing pictures to this site had security not taken my camera) We'd travelled down from Manchester especially for the gig and we were not disappointed. She easily bettered Radiohead whom we'd seen at the Apollo two days earlier. Her voice is so amazingly powerful and pure live. It really is an instrument in itself, as beautiful and priceless as a Stradivarius. As for Aphex Twin - I can't believe he spoilt it for anyone... yes it grated in parts but as far as I was concerned his set was more than just a little tongue-in-cheek ;-) There are very few artists, if any, that can mix subtle beats and soaring orchestration without it sounding like a mess. But Björk's songs are little microcosmic worlds in themselves. A truly unique and awesome Artiste.... /beebul - 142 |
| During a week long sight seeing vacation in London I grabbed a local TimeOUT magazine to see what was on in the Docket in town. If I could have hand picked an artist that I would have wanted to be in the country during this sojourn, I would have been Bjork. For some reason I hadn't even bothered to check potential concert possiblities before making flight plans. And what do you know? The quarter page ad in the music section advertised the local presence one of all our favorite musical artists at the Hammersmith Apollo theater- wherever that was. Sadly, the concert was billed as "sold out". The fine print at the bottom of the ad, however, gave some hope: "A small number of last minute tickets will be available to personal callers on the day prior to the event." Thinking it was a long shot (why would I ever be so lucky?) we plopped ourselves down on a number 10 bus, after figuring out that that would get us in the general vicinity of the venue, and found ouselves at the end of a 4 person line leading into the grungy Apollo theatre. With incredible luck, we got good tickets at a reasonable price, in a decent spot int the theater (row "h") with very little hassle. As has been stated before, the sonic assault from Aphex Twin was a bit of a headache. However, given the choice between enduring the noise, and fighting the crowds and breathing the pall in the lobby, we opted for the sonic assualt on the outside chance that there may be something of interest in it. (Also, we didn't want to miss any sudden onstage appearance by Bjork.) I kept track of the time. From about 8:00 to 8:30, the gurgling, natural samples, and beats being played made for an interesing sonic collage that I actually enjoyed. At about 8:40, however, the collage morphed into a distorted mass that inspired me push balls of wadded paper into my ears. (I usually carry earplugs to any concert.) Forced by middle of the row seats filled on all sides by rather inert concert patrons to remain in place, I tried to figure out what, exactly, was going on. At first, I thought I detected a little cute irony. The words of the angry distored screaming voice seemed to contradict the intensity of the tone. I thought I heard things like "Hi, you're looking a little tired... have a seat" and other banal, but polite, phrases. Then I thought that the musician must have been attempting to use noise as a kind of "sonic pallate clener" like crackers between tastes of wine, or coffee grounds between sniffs of perfume. Whether this was my brain constructing patterns out of random noise, or there really was something there, the inquisitiveness of my mood quickly left. The incessant grinding and screeching gradually dulled my senses and started to induce nausea. What immediately, and breifly, followed the noise was an angelic sounding chorale which seemed weird in comparison to the noise. I had suspected that this is what would happen (the point of it all...) and was hoping that the effect would be one of intense sweetness- as if dawn was breaking after a tempestious night, but I was so aurally exhausted that it was difficult see it that way. If I learned anything from this experience is that timbre is important and it is that context is necessary for harsh sounds to have meaning. (see my words for "pluto" below.) I say all this to underscore how strong and wonderful Bjork's performance was. It took only a few moments for her voice to sink in and wipe away the disappointinly meaningless assualt of the previous half hour. I was taken by the strength and beauty of Bjork's live voice. Many popular artists I've had the pleasure to see are not the vocal talents that their recordings would have you believe. Oftentimes performers will drop high notes on the chance that they might flub them, and keep the intensity down to a workmanlike level to avoid straining the vocal chords. Not Bjork. She seems to put every fibre of her body into singing- wide open mouth, bright glistening eyes, and feeling the beat movements. (During "Hunter" she shook her hands to the shuffling, churning beat as if it was her playing the some weird airbourne instrument. Chucka-chucka-chucka-chuka-Chuck-Chuk-Chuck-Chuck.) The beauty of the performance made even the relatively straightforward, familliar, "as on the CD" interpretations of many of the songs feel delighfully new and fresh. After Hunter, the background curtains opened to reveal an enormous I-MAX sized screen. Bjork launched into the unfamilliar, but instantly seductive, Desired Constellation (The title of which I learned from this website). The video displayed was the first of four- typically Bjorkian in their cloying fantasy realism and fascination. I enjoyed slowly discovering what was happening on the screen. About a half hour into the show, I realized that the Joy in this show was that Bjork, and her band, seemed genuinely to be having a good time. Bjork's simple dancing suggested less a choregraphed work of art than the simple expression of joy in making music- the kind of moves you make when you're grooving to something. I felt lucky to have caught this opening moment of a long tour- when the bliss of performance was still fresh. Watching the show intently through a small pair of Binoculars, I missed the transition into "Pluto" and was caught off-guard when I found that the show had become more sonically intense. I'd never been a huge fan of "Pluto", finding the distortion a bit annoying and the song not particularly interesting, but this performance change my mind about it. Stepping up the intensity with her voice, the band's playing, and the agitated background video, the song became a techno-Ravel's Bolero- Gradually stepping up the intensity until it exploded in a frighteningly huge chathartic orgasm. The explosion was literal- fearfully choregraphed flames, naked man bursting forth innumerable limbs onscreen, and brilliant white fireworks brought the pre-intermission part of the show to a awesome close. The jittery reminders of "The Station" nightclub fire were a suprising spice to the thrall. The crowed roared its approval. The strange thing about "Pluto" was that, for a time, it bore a strong resemblance to portions the Aphex Twin assualt of 90 minutes earlier. This time, however, rather then generating jeers of annoyance, the sound, differently situated within the context of a song with structure and movment, evinced cheers of extacy. Distortion and chaos can be very effective if they are the salt rather than the meat. Also, musical meaning comes from change. Distortion and sonic chaos have no meaning if they are not situated within a frame of structure and relative coherence. Enough pretensious mumbo-jumbo. I really liked the show. I feel darn lucky to have been at the right place at the right time. /bhoehne - 140 |
| another reason Aphex Twin/AFX/smojphace(<---AHAHAHA, smojphace) rules: HE PISSES OFF ALL OF YOU WANKERS he's awesome. i hate you all. by the way: ....GROW A SENSE OF HUMOR. love, __Tita pissy: damn, i wish i went to hammersmith, but i live in LA and i'm not retarded enough to buy tickets to more than 1 gig as i have consideration for other people who would have liked to see bjork without giving more reasons for scalpers to continue RUINING it for everyone else. anyhoots: i can't wait to see her AND squarepusher :) /titasodypop - 139 |
| The show was amazing. The hairs on the back of my neck went up and stayed there until i fell asleep when i got home. Bjork is a pioneer and cannot be matched by anyone! I loved everything and i loved the little ensemble she had especially those big sequined in-the-middle suffolk puffs on her dress-an AsFour outfit? Hmm, I think so! She was fierce and phat with those beats and the new songs...fab! I loved leila's hair-it was uber big and totally out there! I wish Bjork and her team good look and i'm sure they'll be marchin' on with the tour in the name of magic!!! Thankyou for a very special night xxx peter kane /lilpee - 138 |
| Björk was looking quite cool, and the new songs are just great, i enjoyed especially "Nameless", "You've been flirting again" (in icelandic), "It's in our hands" (new version). The visual effects were just top! U really did something with the b/w eskimo images!... Well, the DJ was a bit difficult to handle for so long, so the bar was the perfect hidden place! :-) It was worth to fly from Lisbon just to experience all this! xxx /iceboy - 137 |
| F.C.U.K. off Aphex Twin you suck you arrogant @~#!!!....BJORK now you definatley rocked!!!! a great array of new material allied with a dash of the tried and trusted. /lukie - 133 |
| Well I was a concert virgin til I went to the H'smith Apollo...........and the first part of my 'date' didn't go particularly well. The audience was subjected to a mind numbing hour or so of what is otherwise known as Aphex Twin (for Aphex Twin read 'Earsplitting Shit') It was physically like having a saw dragged across your psyche. I had travelled quite a way (Cornwall) and I didn't spend best part of 100 pound stirling to put my fingers in my ears and STILL wince at the pervasive cacophony that assaulted them. However all was forgiven when she eventually came on stage. Bjork herself - was magic made flesh. Her cds which are brilliant in their own right, just didn't do her voice justice. She was pitch perfect and its not often that I show emotion but it was so beautiful I wept. The imagery and pyrotechnics were just increadible and I was so affected by what I saw, I had to lay on the carpet (later on at home) to bring my pulse down from a whine to a gentle purr. Encore Bjork - you were fantastic hun, keep up the good work and roll on the next cd =0) xxx /calico_jam - 131 |
| Simply amazing! I've seen some brilliant concerts recently but this one crushed them all (even Radiohead a couple of weeks ago!). Björk and her music have given me so much joy but - here's the rub - she hasn't played in Dublin for aaaaaaaaages, so I thought, fuckit, I'm going to blow my savings on a trip to London for the 2 gigs - for someone whose only real passion in life is music, I can't think of any better way to become penniless! Plus, I hadn't been to there before, brilliant place - saatchi gallery, tate modern.... but *focus* this is about the concert..... Firstly, my seat was fantastic - only three rows from the front and right in the centre. I won't write a tirade against the support guy - who bore a striking resemblance to Richard D James! - because his industrial stuff was so earsplitting that when Björk came on the excitement was mixed with an odd sense of relief. Besides, some of the ambient things he played beforehand were cool, although if it really was Aphex Twin he should have thrown in Flim or Xtal or something nice along those lines. Right, onto Björk! I honestly had to ask myself a few times if it wasn't some wonderful dream, having her so close - the dancing, the timid thank-you's and, naturally, those staggering vocals. She looked brilliant too, but I didn't have the courage to call out "flottar buxur", which means "nice pants" in Icelandic I believe. My faves were 5 Years, All Is Full Of Love, Generous Palmstroke (Zeena is the perfect musical foil for Björk, no?), It's In Our Hands, Nameless (can't wait for the new album!) and, of course, Pluto, which was the definite standout. The last time my jaw hit the floor so hard at a finale was at Sigur Ros last year but this brought it up to a new level - the music, the voice, the flames, the fireworks - everything came together to form the most spectacular live performance of a song I have yet to see. All in all, it was an unforgettable nite. I was raging that I didn't get anything for her, like some flowers or something, as a thank-you for simply existing so on the very small chance that she reads this - Björk, you mean the world to me and I hope to see you again someday soon - by the way, I was the guy in a Beck tee shedding a silent tear during All Is Full Of Love. : ) lowboy /lowboy - 124 |
| I enjoyed the warmup dj, it was like meshuggah vs aphex twin , the polyrythms were amazing in sections of that set! /mikaw barish - Yeah right... Mikaw have you read 'The Emperors New Clothes'? /joedog - 122 |
| Got 2 short statements: What the ++++ was that support act doing, it was pure 'noise pollution', shame on Bjork’s advisers for subjecting her fans to it! Great gig, great music, great back-drop, well worth the drive from Manchester and back! Cheers, Mark, Vanessa and Tim /joedog - 120 |
Björk Hammersmith Apollo, London David Peschek Tuesday May 27, 2003 The Guardian Björk walks on stage wearing the kind of dress - garish pink, outsize rosettes on one shoulder, asymmetric puffball skirt, pink and black leggings - that the people who compile fashion pages like to laugh at, not realising she dresses that way because she finds fashion funny. She seems to have reached some kind of watershed in her career: while Vespertine, her glorious last album, is easily her best, it sees her continuing her retreat from pop music into an esoteric netherworld. Now that pop music has been reduced to stage-school MOR, corporate punk or testosterone-drenched R&B, her eccentricity and otherness are missed all the more. The new territory she is charting, however, is extraordinary, unlike anything else in contemporary music. Tonight, with a comparatively small band - a handful of string players, a gifted harpist, Drew Daniel and MC Schmidt (work and life partners otherwise known as playful avant-electro duo Matmos) - she draws largely on 1997's Homogenic, with a tantalising selection of new songs. There is more rhythmic invention in this show than in the rest of current electronic music. Björk has become a curator of exotic, alien sounds, the latest in a rare lineage that includes Martin Denny, Esquivel, Lalo Schifrin and Yello. Truly, though, this music sounds like nothing but itself. Hyperballad (the nearest thing to a proper hit on show tonight) and Joga are key: they are songs in which the vicissitudes of love are the spur of poetic experience, songs that crave the inspiration of extremes. When, in Joga, she sings: "This state of emergency - how beautiful to be," it is both infinitely moving and genuinely brave. In the little-heard B-side Generous Palmstroke, against some breathtaking harp playing, she makes public the most intimate, child-like dialogues of lovers - the genius of much of her writing. Desired Constellation, the first of half a dozen new songs, is accompanied by a film of what appears to be stars, then becomes a swarm of tadpoles that dart and shimmer past before transforming into fantastic aquatic chimeras with polar-bear heads, each propelled by a pulsating human hand. Björk is joined by maverick long-time collaborator Leila for Nameless, an unearthly swoon of refracted wails, sampled live and played back to create a choir of keening Björks. Then Crave, deliciously obscene with thunderous, rupturing electronics, morphs into the relentless, pulsing detonations of Pluto. Finally - what else? - fireworks. A thrilling night, exhausting in absolutely the best way. ++ link to the review on guardian.co.uk /The Guardian - 119 |
| Björk at the Carling Apollo Apologies to all those sick of this topic, but it did colour the event somewhat: I have all of the Aphex Twin's albums, including the recent awful double one. I listen to a diverse range of music, some of it 'difficult', 'challenging', 'noisy'. Frankly, I was totally bored by the Twit's lack of performance. The most excited I got was in wondering how he could be fiddling around so much to produce so little effect. At first it sounded random, uninspired and tedious. Towards the end it sounded contrived, uninspired and tedious. When the audience expressed their displeasure (and why shouldn't they? They paid to see Björk!) he and his friend waved their fists at us. Showing total contempt for your audience will win nobody over. I made it to the gig despite feeling exhausted from having an evil chest infection. I don't drink, so the prospect of sitting bored in the bar was only mildly more enticing than watching AFX man make a complete tit of himself. Frankly, the Aphex Acid went stale sometime after 1996. Now, the real review... The audience erupted when Björk appeared with her new 'do in a very pink outfit. I was in the circle, three rows from the front. The sound was a bit murky, especially early on, so the subtleties of the electronics and the strings were occasionally lost. This only highlighted what an amazing voice Björk possesses - what a stellar performer! Matmos were great - I was hoping they would be as theatrical as they were at the ROH (I've only seen it on video), but I thought their style worked well with old and new songs alike. Highlights: The new videos were excellent, (although the Eskimo porn was a bit crap - maybe I didn't get the joke). I especially liked the Devil-creature in the Unravel film and the exploding naked man. The pyrotechnics and flaming trees were a lovely surprise, and a great climax to the gig. I liked the way the orchestra filled in the for the choral parts - Björk has always changed her compositions to suit different performers. Zeena's playing the harp around her accordion was fun. Leila's giving up on the echo experiment with a dismissive wave of her fag made me laugh. I haven't seen Björk live since Glastonbury years ago, so it was wonderful to see how much she's changed, and I've missed her crazy dances. The new songs have me looking forward to the next album. I will definitely see her again, I will probably avoid the Apollo, (I will boycott AT, no one will care!) /anonymous_bosch - 117 |
| oh dear. i cannot believe what a load of whining tits bjork fans seem to be. ok so aphex twins set may not be to your taste, but he wasnt making you listen, you could've gone and got a drink and chilled out a bit. it really made me laugh because people were actually covering their ears! it wasn't that load and in songs such as pluto the sounds were just as harsh. and as for it ruining your evening, don't make me laugh! Bjork was awesome. aphex twin played a set like that just for the reaction that certain audience members gave, he thrives on negative publicity and shocking people. because of the way you silly little narrow minded people reacted to it then he got what he wanted. genius. /buchiach - 114 |
| This was my first gig ever - and naturally my first björk gig! I thought it was fantastic! I kindof have to say that I could have enjoyed the support probably, but with a little time - that sort of music takes a while to get into I find. So.... while I probably could have enjoyed it, I was a little bored by it, since it made no sense to me at the time and I agree it went on far too long. Sorry! I completely envy the shepherd's bush people - I wish I'd been there to see soft pink truth - something I would have been able to understand, since I've got the album and I LOVE IT! I really enjoyed pluto's pyrotechnics - I thought that was an excellent time, although they did drown out the video - but who cares! It was fantastic. Not being a perv or anything, I didnt understand why the guy's genitals were blurred out..... no that is pervy never mind though. Still doesnt make sense. The rest of the visuals were great - I thought the IIOH one was hilarious - really taking the piss or something! It was nice to see 'videos' for Unravel and pluto and other songs, I thought that was interesting. Björk looked amazing as well - she was wearing this puffball pink dress and crazy mad tights. She had braided her hair and that made her look really young. Totally incredible! Thank you to everyone involved! Mark /-maerk- - 110 |
| Well, being my first Bjork gig I was extremely excicited and in anticpation of what to expect. She looked and sounded stunning and with matmos, zeena and the string section was brilliant as an ensemble. The visuals fited in so well with the soundtrack and a varied selection of songs. Lets hope its not too long before she comes back and I can't wait for the lake album!! peace, Jonny /jonny764 - 101 |
| That was my first Bjork concert. I was well impressed and overly exited at the start but that support put me out!.... erm Dj.something or other was terrible... i dont know how anyone can say 'the way he put the sounds together was interesting'...cwar! i cant descride how...oh... thats enough. Bjork...She was amasing...seeing her sent chills down my spine all night, she looked lovely... she picked a good opening song and kept on suprising me all night...homogenic isnt really one of my best albums but i think she may have changed my mind a fair bit after hearing alot of it live. Pluto was amasing and i could not sit still, the the sound could not have been better... i felt my body was going to explode. Hyperballad... not too many people seem to have quoted on that! one of my favourites and very well perfomed... My reactions...i chose a great venue, very nice. Seated though...the seats were nice... hehe but i could not sit still... my head was going... my feet were going...my arms were going... i could not sit still for a moment. I saw people sitting in their chairs with not a flinch... i felt a little silly... but the man next to me made me feel right at home when he started to join in... thanks man! I want to see bjork again... but definatly standing up... i could not contain my exitement...i got up at the end and walked towards the front for the last three songs... if you saw a wierd girl ...not keeping still... in a brown dress pinny thingy with black dr martins... it was probably me... hehe It was great to hear some of bjorks new songs... i was flabbergasted... ZEENA wow... you were good and i wish a little more could have been heard from you, your a very good harp player and i could certainly never play anything as well as you play. if you would like to talk to me... have some arguements and disagreeing or a good chat about the concert... feel free to e-mail me i would like to talk/meet some other bjork fans around army_of_nic@hotmail.com thank you everyone who help set up the concert in hammersmith... thank you bjork... zeena i truly had a great time well done! nicola xXx /blue_hands - 85 |
| This is the 5th time I've seen Bjork live and I thought she was on top form. Her vocals live are unbeatable and the energy she gives out is extremly unique. I have to agree with the masses regarding the support/warm up act. I think I'm pretty open to all types of music and totally respect people who push the boundaries however I personally couldn't see any craftmanship or creative talent in that music. I'm not sure anyone could tell the difference between a de-tuned radio and that noise. If the purpose of it was to shock or interest anyone all I can say is it failed badly. If Bjork chose her support act herself I can only assume it was because Bjork is an artist who isn't afraid of the unknown and she doesnt try to appeal to the masses however I'm sure she would be the first to admit when you experiment some stuff works and some doesn't.. Her set was great and good to hear some of her lesser know stuff as well as a few classics. I personally enjoyed the songs accompanied by strings a lot more as she expresses the emotion of the song so well in her voice alone. I felt she didn't need the raw loud electronic beats mixed with some of her songs that just seemed to totally drown her out last night. Overall good night. /Helk - 84 |
| well...i might as well complain about DJ whatsisface first....MY EARS! ow now that that's out of the way i'd like to say.,..AAAGHH EEEEHHH WWWWOOOAH! what a fantastic show. i was geared up for a quiet night with vespertine and a couple of oldies at the end, but god was i shocked. the new ones were fab, and i love what they did with An Echo A Stain. It had me shivers. Generous Palmstroke was awesome as usual...zeena was on form, i would have liked to see more of her! An then there were the finishers. Leila strutting on, fag in mouth gave things some attitude...when that new song warped into Pluto the place erupted. YAH! The most angry song ever, brilliantly complemented with the flames and video. My only moan is that I really wanted to stand up and jump about with her. Damn venue! Dave =) /homesick alien - 83 |
| Amazing Gig I thought although I wasn't expecting it to end after Isobel, she just ran off!!! I think the setlist needed Bachelorette and Unison in there, was surprised there wasn't anything off Debut also, was expecting "Like Someone In Love" with the presence of the Harp. Great though, wish I'd have stuck around in london for tonights gig though, would have been my 8th!!! /bobbee296 - 82 |
| Despite the security at the Apollo actually STEALING my camera (conveniently lost in confiscation as I tried to take a photo) the evening was the best live experience I've ever had. The opening music was HORRIFIC, nd everyone hated the loud screeching noises, but when Bjork came on stage they were even more grateful. Bjork's voice was more perfect than I've ever heard in any live recording, and the set list was fantastic. Even though she didn't play any of Debut, sadly, she did include some songs that almost made me die... It was great to hear Unravel, Pluto and the gorgeous Generous Palmstroke, Such a fantastic performance all round. New songs from the upcoming album sound good, my favourite being the hectic Where Is The Line, very cool. I've also never been more stimulaed in as many different ways at the same time by a performer. The Pluto (near) finale was OUTSTANDING. Well done Bjork my love, it was outstanding. xx /optimisticme - 79 |
| My girlfriend (whose account I am posting under) took me to the concert. I suggested to her before the concert that Bjork associates with such arty-farty types that the support act would probably be a new-age mime artist. Lo and behold!, not only a mime artist, but a naked mime artist (although of course on video rather than as support). Visual backups such as this surely parody parody itself. At least this naked, wanking fool will keep me laughing for a week or so. More seriously, where were the tunes? Quite frankly, I would never have started listening to Bjork all those years ago if she had insisted on being a sub-nine inch nails noisemaker. There was next to no melody, precious little music and I'm damned if there was even the slightest hint of swing; ergo, it don't mean a thing. The concert started well, but after the first few songs disappointment followed disappointment. They were B sides for a reason..... Also she frequently masked her voice with discordant noise. Sure, experimental, but who can tap their feet to experimental. Maybe future adverts for concerts should carry taglines: Bjork-commercial or Bjork-experimental, so that everyone who spends 3 hours doing their hair and wants to be Tracy Emin's tampon can go to the experimental one. Jonathan /saturn21 - 74 |
| well, it was my first one too, was in aw for the duration of the show as i was totally overwhelmed with the quality of her voice, i mean its a live gig and i sounds like u had ur cd playing. and she was really beautiful. AVE BIERK you was wicked, such talent and energy is inspiring and puts all these pop acts, who willingly throw emselves to get "fistf*cked" for fame, in retrospect init? i couldnt stay for the whole thing as it was too sacred for me. AVE BIERK /deucal - 73 |
| my ultimate dream came true, to see Bjork live. i will never forget it. thankyou. love you x /boolis - 72 |
| It didn't seem five minutes ago I was at the Royalty theatre in London not having a clue what to expect of the Bjork live experience. Several gigs later and I'm still in complete awe from what Bjork treats our ears to. I was lucky enough to be front row for the apollo experience. OK DJ Smojface was a shock to the system to begin with, but hey, bjork's support was never going to be 'normal' was it! I guess the point is teh Dj set was totally experimental and it seems to have had the disired effect on everyone involved!! The last part being totally off its face - it either made the bar loads of money or had people thinking 'what the f***??!!!' or both!! Personally I thought it was wild! Great (apart from the last 15 mins which did my head in!) Anyway, Bjork...I was impressed with the arrangements, Matmos did their job well as usual. The beautiful strings and harp sat nicely behind Bjork's cutting vocal throughout. I am still impressed by the use of distortion in such beautiful songs, more distinctive from the work with Mark Bell...PLUTO was orgasmic!! The new mix of IN OUR HANDS was amazing, ALL IS FULL OF LOVE still haunts, HYPERBALLAD still dances around your head, the new songs, sounded intricate and cleverly grooved around hypnotic synth lines. ISOBEL was a perfect note to end on, big and celebrational (if there is such a word!). The large screen visuals were great too, a nice touch...Bjork never fails to impress me. Long may the journey continue! Can't wait for Shepherd's bush tonight. /jonteknik - 71 |
| P.S. I know the Apex stuff sounded really bad, but don't forget - Bjork takes these maniac artists, harnesses they're wild, demented sounds and transforms them in to work like Pluto. This is the mark of all great music artists - they recognise the potential in others. The new material sounds like more of the same. /RonnieG - 70 |
| I went to this concert as a first time viewer of bjork and too be honest not much of a fan. My opinion really was changed as her voice was fantastic and the music was beautiful. I really dont see why there are so many complaints about the support though!!!??? It may not have been everyones particular cup of tea but no one had to watch it! it is a shame that there was no one on stage and it seemed like there was merely a cd playing, but I for one really enjoyed it and would love to know where i could get some!!! In anycase to say that the support was 2 hours of noise is not true at all seeing as much of it was very atmospheric at first, and the "noise" only really kicked in much later. Aphex twin has always held disregard for what negative views people have on his performance, and no amount of suggestions that he needs to change his act will change that. He achieved something in making almost an entire hall full of people pissed off and he is certainly getting a response for it! And how different really was his set from the likes of ATR or Nic Endo? I saw a few people sporting clothes of artists and music cultures that would embrace his set more openly without such narrow minded opinion! So really it doesnt matter because bjork was great and shes who you were all there to see. SO STOP FUCKING COMPLAINING!!!!! /2manycoolppl - 69 |
| I really have to laugh at some of the reviews here. Admittedly, the whole Apex Twin experience was a bit of a nightmare for the most part, as was the hour-long wait to pick up the last minute tickets from the box office. There, that is my moan over with (forgive me - I am English). However, I would never allow this to ruin my evening. Good things come to those who are patient. As far as I'm concerned, it is always a privilege to see Bjork perform live. The first time I saw her perform solo was at the Union Chapel concert in 1999, when she played an acoustic show with the Brodsky Quartet. That was an experience that will stay with me forever. It was the best concert I have ever attended. By contrast, the Hammersmith show had lots of different aspects to it. It had some of the traditional musical elements, such as the beautiful sound of the strings and the Harp, combined with the amazing sounds produced by Matmos and the DJ who played on one of the new songs. The highly imaginative and original films that accompanied the songs were excellent too. I loved the show! Being at a Bjork concert is like living on another planet for an hour and a half. It is always a wonderful thing to be able to live in Bjork's imagination for a short while. I can't wait for the new album! /RonnieG - 68 |
| What can i say? The support act from Aphex Twin was ok for the first 20 mins, then as is descended into a cacaphony of random machine noise combined the 4 hr drive took its toll on me and i began to get a migraine... However all was forgotten when Bjork arrived on stage. She played all the songs we'd been hoping for when discussing it on the way down and was amazing, i only wish i could have seen her at ROH, as the sound system did seem tinny at times. The remix of IIOH was incredible, and Pluto was mind blowing. Well worth all the effort to get there and the 2 hr wait after to see her drive off from the after party. ;) /Ariadnae - 67 |
| She looks really great! The dress and the hairstyle - whow! And what about the lyrics of the new songs? Here is number 04 - Desired Constellation it's tricky when you feel that someone has done something on your behalf it's slippery when your sense of justice murmurs underneath and it's asking how am i going to make it right? how am i going to make it right? with a palmful of stars i throw them like dice repeatedly repeatedly on the table i throw them on the table until the desired constellation appears how am i going to make it right? how am i going to make it right? how am i going to make it right? how am i going to make it right? and you're asking you how am i going to make it right? how am i going to make it right? (icelandic / gibberish[?] stuff ) repeatedly repeatedly you're asking yourself repeatedly /nix.smith - 66 |
| This was my FIRST concert EVER... And wow I can't wait to go again! Bjork was absolutlely brilliant, I took my wife who always said 'She can't sing to save her life' but when leaving she said she thought Bjork was brilliant, although still not her cup of tea. Being my first concert I was a little disappointed to hear that Bjork wouldn't start until 9pm and so there was 1.5hrs of support acts. We got a drink and sat through 2 hours of, well noise. Some of it was good, a deep thundering beat at one point, but the rest was not good... Bjork came on and sung her heart out, it was incredible! so in tune! solid music for nearly 2hours! I was waiting for 'Isobel' and it was saved until the end. - Same I can't afford to go on Monday :-( No T-Shirts in Large/X Large, not impressed. Regards Richard /richardwait - 65 |
| It seems like Aphex Twin's opener detracted from reviews of Bjork's concert Here is an 'official' view from UK channel 4 TV teletext Planet Sound. direct quote. ************** IT'S OH SO UNLISTENABLE Aphex Twin played a surprise two-hour set supporting Bjork at her Hammersmith Apollo gig Saturday - but was booed off after playing non-stop feedback. Richard James didn't even appear on stage during his set except to peek behind curtains as fans booed. Meanwhile, Bjork debuted three new songs and asked the crowd. "Do you know the Eurovision result". The set was heavy on Vespertine songs with no Debut material played. ************** /marty - 64 |
| Amazing concert, it had so much energy it was fantastic in every respect. I agree with the guy above, if u didnt like the opeing act (it was not THAT noisy u grannies anyway) why didnt u go to the bar like the rest of us did? Oh and the "explicit images" u have to be kidding, the mostly 20 something crowd (not old people and kids) took the imagary as it was intended and it was used very well. Well done Bjork, it was a great night (PLEASE release it on dvd [ hope u filmed it]) /heartbreakkid - 61 |
| FANTASTIC NIGHT, BUT TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO SAID THE SUPPORTING ACT WHERE SHIT, ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS GET UP AND GO TO THE BAR LIKE I DID, OR WAS YOU ALL GLUED TO YOUR SEATS?? /magic_wellies_uk - 60 |
| Well OK - agree with a lot of the above reviews (What a brilliant forum to have so many reviews already!) I thought Bjork was brilliant - singing perfect as always, but she seemed really on top of her game. The new songs seemed really good - the one towards the end was a bit chaotic but that seemed in the spirit of things. Nice selection of older songs - I wasn't as familiar with some of them as I should have been. Leila Arab (Apparently - I didn't know her I'm afraid) added a bit of manic spirit to the proceedings. All in all - a brilliant perfomance. Could have done with one more encore to round it off nicely (She didn't introduce the band did she ?) but that's quibbling. Some people have compared last night unfavourably with the 2001 tour. I saw her at ENO and the Opera House. She was excellent at both (better at ENO I felt) but wasn't it perhaps a little 'dry' - a bit too perfect and clean sounding. I preferred last night's elements of chaos. Just a personal opinion of course. Talking of chaos - Aphex Twin. If it was indeed him. I've heard stuff before and always found it interesting. Some great - some a bit indifferent. Last night's set seemed interesting at first. A bit weird, but good. Popped out for a quick drink and came back to find the sledgehammer/screaming/swearing symphony. For 10 minutes it was interesting. Then it became annoying and then pretty unbearable. I don't think I'm alone in thinking it was a largely failed experiment. Let's not end on a negative note - it was another fine gig in a very distinguished career. I wish I was going to some more of the tour. Be sure to report back to those of us that cannot be there! /scilly - 58 |
| Last night was my first Bjork concert, and oh my god it was superb, best night of my life! I still didn't really believe I was going to see her til I got the ticket in my hand at the stargreen office yest, and as soon as i saw that i got Block 20, 16 rows from the stage all the excitement hit me at once, couldn't believe it since I bought the ticket when there were only 6 left! The support was, to put it mildly, painful, but nothing could take from the sheer brilliance of the night, the visuals, the music, the wonderful mixture of the octet, matmos, zeena and towards the end leila -unbelievable. I was simply in awe of bjork, how she just jumped out with so much energy and enthusiasm, her vocals were stunning (tho the sound system hindered her) she looked fab and seemed to really enjoy the night!! Personal favs had to be the awesome remix of IIOH, my dream come true hearing Joga live with the octet, Hyperballad, Generous Palmstroke, hearing the new songs-can't wait for the new album, and Pluto combined with the pyrotechnics was absolutely fanstastic. Well worth all the waiting, money, travel and effort, I've fallen in love with London! And bjork has me hooked on seeing her live, any chance I can I'll see her! Thanks for a wonderful evening!!!!! See you all in Paris!!!!!! /ykciv - 57 |
| Well, fortunately, I walked in the Apollo around 9pm stayed for about 2 minutes and went out again only to come back when an announcement had been made that Bjork would appear shortly... So thank Heavens I did not sit through the notorious 2 hours of torture. 2 minutes was enough!! As for Bjork herself, she was brilliant, as ever. The venue isn't the most wonderful of places acoustically. I have seen other artists perform there and it seems to be a recurrent problem. The sound is just not evenly distributed and the bass was so loud at one point I felt my heart was gonna jump out of my chest any second! A big difference from the ROH last year. Those strings should've been heard... and they weren't... But she gave it all she had and was truly a joy to watch and hear (when the bass didn't cover her voice). /4ll4n - 56 |
| OK so DJ whatisname was not to everybodies liking but there were some good bits in his set. It was clear on the posters around the hall that Björk was not expected on stage until 9:00 and like most acts was a litltle late. The show she put on made up for this. The set was excellent and contained a good mix of new and old. Björk looked stunning even from my view through a set of binoculars in the circle. Her beautiful, passionate approach sets her apart. Highlights - Pagan Poetry, desired Constellation and Pluto. Well worth the 500 mile round trip and the cost of tickets. can't wait to see her again. Pity she's only doinmg two gigs in UK. Need her to visit the North of England. /macleanwa - 55 |
| I thought it was excellent, although disappointed that she did not play Bachelorette or Army of Me i was absolutely intoxicated with her Pluto finale. It was beautiful.... Pagan Poetry, Scary, Joga ALL OF THEM!!!!! they were all sooo awesome. Her new songs were good esp Desired Constellation. The only major quarrel with the concert was the wait from 7 till 9!!! (and the very loud ecletic mix of sounds) but BJORK WAS FANTASTIC!!!! I paid £95 for my ticket......but Bjork was definately worth it!!!!! /obsidius - 52 |
| Words cannot articulate the electrifying atmosphere: it was truly, and utterly, fantastic. /boyrobot - 51 |
| In reference to what Jon said, know one here is complaining about the fact that bjork did not play 'It's Oh So Quiet', so if your making some kind of assumption that the audience consisted of a bunch of teens (remembering that that song was released in 1996) who were there on the crest of that song and who don't appreciate Aphex Twin, then you are very much mistaken. What Aphex Twin played last night, is not his usual gig and would only appeal to a very limited amount of people. In fact, the sounds were so diverse that only certain segments would appeal to certain people. However, overall, his set was very annoying, was the cause of a migrain and was a blow to the human sense (and not in a good way). People paid to see Bjork and a possible support act. I think Aphex Twin went on for way too long. Bjork, however was an absolute star. The main set was truly amazing. The music to 'Nature Is Ancient' reminded me of 'I go Humble' and I really appreciated this song more than ever, now I've seen it live. I think that the show opened with a great trilogy of tracks and was 'Homogenic' heavy. 'Where Is The Line' was one of the highlights for me. I loved the way Bjorks voice molded into the loud beats and the heavy violin sounds. And when the song melted into 'Pluto' it was absolutely orgasmic. The violins during the second encore of 'You've Been Flirting' and 'Isobel' sent vibrations through the floor and I was close to tears. The video stills, lighting, and fireworks were all perfect. One of the best concerts I have ever been too. I seen several people leave that theatre in tears, which is just goes to show how truly moving her music is. However, security were really hitting hard on people with camera's///// /beetlefuck - 50 |
| could anyone help me in suggesting (amicable) ways of getting some of my money back??? just totally dissheartened at last nights performance...the apollo had no right mistreating Bjorks fans in this manner.... ie 2 hours of sheer pain amoungst other things!!! /matt2london - 49 |
| aha *blush* i missed that. Im dissapointed in Richard D James. He can do so much better!! /Disco Volante - 48 |
| Well at the top of this page it says "Own show. Opening act: Aphex Twin." /EnglishHaze - 47 |
| This was my first Bjork concert and I really enjoyed it. I was hoping for songs from debut and Post more, I guess I should have seen her back in the day. As for the support, I wasn't sure if there was any, cos it looked to me that it just a CD being played. Now can someone tell me who EXACTLY was supporting, was it Matmos or Aphex Twin. I don't think it was Aphex Twin, sounds like nothing like his sort of thing. /Disco Volante - 46 |
| Just back from London - It was my kids first concert and they love Bjork. It was a shame they had to sit through the two hours of 'non music' . I do not have a job at the moment and I'd be happy to fill in for the support act for half the price and make the audiance feel good rather than lousy. But then Bjork came on and made the journey well worthwhile.As we walked to the Appollo we said the songs we would love to hear. Five Years for Vincent (10), Joga for Joe (12) and Unravel (?) for me. Great. And the new songs, especially Where is the line, phew. But every song was great. I wish we could hear them all again. Jeremy /jeremyharrold - 45 |
| I don't care if it was "Aphex Twin" that made that awful noise continuously before the show started it was still shit and just about 99% of the people posting here seem to agree. In fact it ruined my whole enjoyment of the evening. By the time Bjork came on I just wanted to go home my head hurt so much. A waste of £32 on the ticket. /EnglishHaze - 44 |
| My first Björk concert last night at Hammersmith Apollo, a memorable night but for the wrong reasons. As can be seen from many of the other reviews here Aphex Twin caused a lot of distress with two hours of what I can only desrcibe as audio torture. Was the purpose of this act to make the audiance feel agressive and un-loved? No matter how well Björk performed last night I woke up this morning feeling very angry and confused about what happened. I need to know what it was all about. Please tell me Björk is this what you thought would happen? /CyberRex - 43 |
| it's my first time too! I really loved the remix of Our Hands, but I can't find it anywhere! *booohooo* And as for Aphex Twin.. i actually thought it was kinda funny at first... then it just went on and on and on and on..... oh and does anyone else think that Bjork spoilt An Echo A Stain a little with all those heavy beats? other than that it was probably the best gig i've ever seen, hurry up and finish lake experience already!! :) /manjiBoy - 42 |
| A live DVD is one thing, but seeing and hearing Bjork sing live, in the same room, is something else. Everyone has their own feelings and thoughts about what should and shouldn't have been played, but at the end of the day it's Bjork's choice and I loved every second of it. I do partially agree about the lights though (a little higher up the wall would have saved my retinas), and Idid actually sit and listen to all of aphex twin and even with my eclectic music taste found some of it hard going. /grahamc - 41 |
| It was my first Bjork concer...even tho iv been an avid fan for 10 years!!!! Iv got all her live stuff, but being there took my breath away!!!! The new stuff was thankfully great ....remenisant of Homogenic - i cant wait for Lake!!!!! One second a smooth Generous palmstroke....then its all Pluto!!!! the videos in the background were breath taking too, soo much enery that nite!!!!! Not like Vespertine, but Homogenic !!! Woooo Hoooo Gurdeep /toshinden - 40 |
| Hey Björk! I thought it cannot work better after Vespertine 2002 tour! But it can! I'm just breathless and words are useless to express my feelings and to describe this Gig. Divine and strong. Thanx for being on earth Björk!!!!!!!!!!! :D /loco2 - 39 |
| It was one of my biggest dreams to see a live Bjork concert and I was really excited about it. I am sure anybody who had been at the concert last night will understand my disappointment with the first part of the event (the abominable 2 hours of torture from the supporting DJ, which were a truely miserable experience). I do agree that it was an insult to the fans and I cannot help wondering how could Bjork ever agree to have it as a support act. It felt like being a part of a nasty psychedelic experiment and I if it had been for any other artist but Bjork I would have left the place after the first half an hour. Well, no need to say that the Bjork part of the event was great and she did win back the audience with her amazing performance. The sound was probably not the best for this type of venue, but Bjork was wonderful, very lively and true to her style and she proved again that she is a top class artist. I hope Bjork will read all these reviews and correct the mistake with the support part for her next concerts. I personally will try to forget as soon as possible the DJ's abuse, but I am sure I will always remember Bjork's performance. I was there for her and I loved what she did and this is what matters at the end of the day. She still is my favourite artist! /slavena - 38 |
| Well,that was my first concert.I've been a fan since 95,but never seen her live.The support act was,excuse my language,absolutley shit!There was no purpose to such noise,and when the audience started shouting "off,off,off" the guy peered around the curtain at the side of the stage to wave his arm in the air!BUT,after our eardrums and tempers were frayed,Bjork appeared with a David Beckham hairdo and a pink dress on.The highlight for me was the first new song,Desired Constellation.That was fantastic with its "How can I make things right" chorus.More highlights were hearing Nature Is Ancient and Scary live.Leila Arab appeared onstage during one song and stayed for the rest of it.She was smoking too,and I was gasping for a ciggie!Bjork finished up with Isobel,which was a bit strange considering that song is usually in the main part of a gig.They bought these white tree things out that lit up and spun around like Catherine Wheels.So,I think I'll be going to see her again as soon as it comes available!Thanks for a great first gig! /cubesnut - 37 |
| APHEX TWIN SPOILT THE CONCERT! For those that dont know, Aphex Twin was the one that was making all that noise pollution at the beginning. Bjork… f*cking good! No one can compare to Bjork. I just wish she played “All Neon Like” classic tune, have to say it makes me cry a little. I would have liked to seen her play Venus as a boy, Play Dead, Undo, Sun in my Mouth and Aurora But she kicked ass big time /Tahnee - 36 |
| I am staggered that so many people are complaining on here (and were shouting "off off off!" and booing last night) about Richard James's support slot (yes, /melagate, you are right it was him). Björk is an innovator and has become the artist she is now through openness to conflicting ideas and respect for other people's creativity. What a shame that a few of her so-called fans are narrow-minded whingers (with a rudimentary grasp of spelling, it seems on here) who can't cope with a few bright lights shining into their faces and went home crying to their Mum that she didn't play "It's Oh So Quiet" or have a backing tape of a choir on AIFOL... Perhaps if you had gone to see Kukl or Tappi Tikarrass supporting someone else in the 80s you would have had the same complaints? Then where would Björk be now? What's more, Björk has always embraced electronica, and some of the new songs, and versions of songs last night, sounded amazing with added sampling and noise (thanks matmos and Leila A, we salute you) -- that itself owes at least something to Aphex, Polygon Waves and so on. Last night was a stunning event. All of us who went there were lucky to get tickets and privileged to see so many fine musicians under the direction of someone of the integrity and courage of Björk. Get over yourselves, you complainers! allisfulloflove indeed /jon /indiek1d - 35 |
| I enjoyed the warmup dj, it was like meshuggah vs aphex twin , the polyrythms were amazing in sections of that set! /mikaw barish - 34 |
| thanks Bjork for a great concert it was our first time seeing you and you didn't disapoint, but the support was unbearable white noise which fankly disturbed you mentally. /steg - 33 |
| Until last night I was a BjorkLive Virgin. Her concert at Hammersmith yesterday seemed to draw out pretty much every human emotion possible. From the absolute horror that came from the beyond appalling support DJ (I am all for art but that offensive noise does not constitute it in any form, it sounded more like a live feed from the Iraq battlefield!) to the wonderment of Desired Constellation, the excitement of Hyberballed, the thrills of Pluto and the pure fun of 'It's In Our Hands' to mention a few. On her arrival to the stage I was disappointed to notice that the lighting was quite poor and that the stage design was pretty dull. All that changed as the curtain raised at the back to reveal the fabulous screen which gave the show a whole new angle. It's incredible to see Bjork mixing many forms of art to present her songs. On the whole I really enjoyed the show. My only criticisms would be that of the omittance of any tracks from Debut and the fact that Isobel did not finish the show leaving the audience, or me at least, satisfied. One more 'old' track was needed I think. Oh, and of course that horrendous Support DJ ;) /Alex** - 32 |
| It was my first ever Bjork concert., and can i just say...amazing, superb, fantastic, brilliant, Bjork was out of this world. I found it a bit disturbing sitting there for Bjork to come on and listening to that dreadful rackett, it totally lost my excitment for bjork to come on. but that was quickly forgotten and i enjoyed every second of bjork.Long live the queen on ice. /james17 - 31 |
| Bjork, yes dear you have a fantastic voice and you are a great performer. But, overall a total waist of money and a pretty dull evening. It is insulting to keep your fans waiting for 3 hours listening to static and getting thouroughly bored. What is more, the overall show was poor - whoever had the idea of shining lights in the audience's eyes as the main effect needs to be fired. So, a word of warning - you could get the same effect as this concert by turning the CD up loud in a warm dark room with a lamp in your eyes and then shredding £40. /OllyNewton - 30 |
| Ello. I was very pleased with the events of 24th May at London Hammersmith Apollo. Wot more could any Bjork fan ask for in a night out. Seemed alot of bods were getting a bit fucked off with the music that woz going on before the start of Bjork's show. True, it got a bit hard to listen to after about half an hour, but the anticipation of seeing Ms B after it all woz more than enough to make me un-annoyed. A few were getting annoyed..... Oh well. Patience is a virtue they say. Anyho, perfect, perfect night, i fink, woz had by all. Soo wish I was going to Shepherds Bush as well on Monday, but am going to Paris to see her in June so shouldn't stress, should I....? Thank you again, Bjork, for another amazing time. Thank you! And Goodnight! J /johnnyhyper - 29 |
| Ooh shes a lovely one. Someday she'll be mine. Was all jolly super but a few old classics wouldnt have gone amiss. Loved mix of In our hands, and funky hand dancing at he end of Hunter. What was the name of the support DJ? He was a bugger. And which three songs were new? /snubnose - 28 |
| it was a great night... ...and by the way, did anyone actually notice that the noise people were complaining about was actually APHEX TWIN ???!!! /melagate - 27 |
| Well, firstly I have always found that when I hear Bjork's music it is like I am being healed, but unfortunately I found last nights performance very wounding. Most probably because of the excrutiating noise before Bjork came on, and I did not sit through the whole two hours of it, just 15 minutes at the end! What surprised me was that everyone was just sitting down in their seats enduring it...maybe everyone thought that Bjork was going to run on and surprise the audience or they felt that it would be rude to leave. I did try to find the main power supply but I had no joy. Sorry Bjork...big mistake with your special guest, although not very special. Selection of songs...well, I think most people were expecting more songs from vespertine as their were quite a few families and old people in the audience as vespertine is a very classical and angelic album. Perhaps Bjork should stick to The Royal Opera House. There was no Play Dead, no Venus as a Boy, no Human Behaviour, no Aurora, no Cocoon, no Birthday, no Undo, no Ive seen it all from Dancer in the dark which everyone loves, and also I feel that the remix of Its in our hands did not work as it just seemed like Bjork was on the war march after the war in Iraq backed up by her pals Radiohead and their new album Hail to the thief which is very war-like in beat structure. The visuals were brilliant for half of the songs especially Desired Constellation but having explicit images for some songs I felt was again not Bjork. And I thought she was a family gal. Fire at the end...well I did not see any men with extinguishers on standby and I had binoculars, and I couldnt stop thinking about the American biker bar earlier in the year that caught on flames and left many victims. Bjork does not need fire or fire-works. She needs that choir back for a start, as she sang last night 'like she lost an arm'. Then again the venue did not suit her voice and to be honest she did not need a microphone. I love Bjork's music but I will warn anyone not to enter Shephards Bush Empire until Bjork comes on...for the sake of your ear drums, and I am 22 and a sound designer. In all fairness with the David Beckham hair cut and the loud noise beforehand...Bjork is going for headlines as she has Seen it all. /mobile - 26 |
| Björk came out on the stage so up!!! for the show not like the ROH where see seemed to take 5 or 6 songs to settle down to the task. She hit us with the best version of Pagan Poetry I have heard for the opening first number and she never looked back. The NOISE!!! for the support was performed in the wings by LEILA ARAB as I was told by a friend who was on the front row, the NOISE was some sort of advanced early warning for the new music to come in the form of Where Is The Line which was awful but it merged into a totally brilliant closing first set version of Pluto which nearly brought down the roof, Highlights for me have to be Pagan Poetry,Unravel,Nature is Ancient and a wonderfull Icelandic version of Scary with harp from Zena. Cant wait till the Paris gig as I need to be standing and not in the circle for the next gig....Brilliant!! /graybeat /graybeat - 25 |
| How wonderful she is. I was really lucky to be there. I'll never forget about last night. She wore pink dress beautifully. Especially I was amazed by her great voice!! /Yurika - 24 |
| Last night was my first Bjork gig and to say I was excited would be putting it extremely mildly. Upon arrival we were told that a "DJ Smorgface" or something similar would be playing from 7.30 til 8.30, and Bjork would perform from 9 til 10.30. Instead, we were battered by an incessant cacophany of screaming, swearing, white noise, machine gun fire and what sounded like the inmates of a deranged monkeyhouse. Until 9.20, with no respite and no damn let-up. I almost went mad from the noise, people around me had coats over their heads and generally I think that we were all very upset by the lack of a live band and simply by the sheer crude violence of it. Bjork herself was incomparable, with beautiful remixes of some old favourites, an extraordinary voice and importantly some very teasing snippets of the next album. The show itself was dissapointing, with preety videos but otherwise consisting of bright lights blinding the audience. The choice of Pluto as the last main song was superb, with ace pyrotechnics that suited the song so well, but I was a bit let down by Isobel as the finale- I think it lacked the power to send the audience home reeling. I'll certainly see Bjorkagain, but hopefully with a warm-up, backing and stage show to suppport and illuminate her vitality and impish charm. /pixiepants14 - 23 |
| Bjork is a true genius ... she never ceases to amaze! Highlights for me were Hyperballad which is an old favourite of mine, Pagan Poetry which I thought was a great opener and the remix of Its in our hands ROCKS! The new tracks are such a tease! cant wait for the new album... Boo /p8boo - 22 |
| AMAZING......... AMAZING........ WOW, So good! Pluto was possibly the best five minutes of my life. And so what if the DJ was a little dodgy, he was loving it! (and it wasn't matmos you dumb ass!) The DJ only made Bjork sound even better. The visuals were stunning... The vocals were stunning... Bjork is stunning... Everything was stunning! Could not have been better! B J O R K . . . Thankyou... we salute you!!! /phunk - 21 |
| I was sincerely dissapointed with last nights performance - I went to see bjork, in 2001 in the colliseum, london, for the first time - i was totally overwhelmed by her, and her supporting bands (including matmos) - so much so that i would have paid over £100 to see her repeat the same concert. however, i was dumbfounded by the autrocities last night. We arrived at 7 (perhaps a little early), to find that we were standing at the rear of the theatre (so so) we then had to wait for over 2 hours for bjork to appear - supposedly matmos were meant to be performing in that duration however i do not agree that a cd being played over a tinny PA system would substitute as being validated as a live performance. There style of music has come in leaps and bounds - and now i fear i can only associate them with other bands such as cannible corps or slipnot - i think the audience would agree as "boo's" and "shouts of relief" followed the occational gap of silence. If the idea of the noise from matmos was meant to build the audience up with suspense - they failed and intensly angered them. Putting the 2 hours of sheer pain aside, Bjork appeared as spritely and charming as ever and performed with her soul. however i was so mentally exhausted from the barad of noise and interfierence earlier that i could not launch myself into Bjorks music. The concert went on and she did begin to win the audience back. There were some spectacular visual effects (such as the unseen videos and flame throwers) but it was all still very coarse. The concert in the Colliseum, was just so incomparable, and i am truly very sadened that her audience could not witness what Bjork is truly capable of. Intsead they had to put up with a lousy PA system (which meant that the strings were almost inaudible - whomever was mixing the whole gig should perhaps be taken to the slaughter house by monday morning. In my opinion Bjork's voice is so powerfull and vibrant that there was really no need for her voice to be amped so loud - she just disorted the sound system - in fact she could perform amazingly without any sound system! In summary, Bjork in my eyes is a wonderfully invigirating performer, who has the potential to out sing, out perform any other band/ musician with originality and lust. Many people who were there, hopefully agree with me when i say that she was done a disservice last night. I hope she never goes back to the apollo, and chooses venues that only compliment her voice and status. I realise that this review is not the most incouraging, however i feel that it needs to be said, and i want to be proved wrong when i see her again! In short Bjork is capable of so much more...... /matt2london - 20 |
| A brilliant return to form. The first gig with new material all the songs had a matmos beat twist and sounded like new mixes of the songs. All the songs were more electric and the new songs were along the same road as an echo a stain and its in our hands.The visuals were just brilliant as well adding a back drop to the fantastic stage show. Bjork wore a red dress and pink tights and had her hair party braided. She really pushed things to the limit with fireworks sparkerlers and flames. There was no warm up act, which was a bit disappointing, and i expect as she gets into the tour it will only get better. /poolfreak - 19 |
| The show kept pounding the breath out of her fans as the songs where served up- each one was well picked and well performed. . Some of the songs where complimented by visuals by Lynn Foxx. The most outstanding having to be a visual for Unravel, showing a crouching Björk in ballerina dress, with braided hair, feeding and jelly-like organism chords streaming out of her back. Although I do feel AIFOL stood a little powerless and naked without the choir. It was also good to hear Joga with the beats and choral Björk-ending, but thundering thumps in the middle of the song appeared to mis-timed. And the new songs were a real teaser of whats to come- great things of course /atogeniqua - 18 |
| THEY HAD LEILA ARAB BACK ON STAGE! Man she looked stunning as well, chain smoking her fags, being th loudest, having a go at matmos about summit(!). LovedBjork as always, but no hidden place, harm of will or many vespertine songs. soft pink truth remix of 'in our hands' was greatly unexpected. i threw my beads on stage for her bt she didn't pick em up, so maybe again on monday (hehehehe). /Mikaw Barish /mikaw barish - 17 |
| Amazing to hear that voice live. A few of the early songs were a bit disjointed due to some sloppy beat-work from Matmos. However as the gig progressed, Matmos, the octet, that incredibly talented harp-player and of course, the formidible Bjork blew my head off.....Furthermore, the intermittent videos for the new songs were beeeeauuuutiful. /chrispy - 8 |
| well how fu**ing great was that? It was too amazing for words, so i wont bother...other than to say i can't wait for sherpards bush!!!!!!!!! And new songs sound great! /madrakin - 7 |
| Björk was great. A superb mix of electronics and strings which gave the set great variety. Nature is Ancient, It's In Our Hands and Pluto were the highlights for me. The new songs also sounded good. Some great visual surprises also especially at the end. However, the support went on way tooo loong and was being booed and slow hand clapped by most of the circle. Matmos would have been better. /mimas - 6 |
| Well. My first Bjork Gig. And all went swimmingly! There was some old songs, some very old songs, some new songs, some very good new songs! And the surprises at the end! Very nice! Bjork looked stunning, vocals were flawless, music was top noch, video screen was stunning to look at, roll on The Lake Album, if the songs from tonight were a preview of whats in store......Roll on I say! /oliverl - 3 |
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