Joanna Newsom – Somerset House, London 20/07/08

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After taking time off from touring for the best part of nearly a year, Joanna Newsom decided to treat her UK fans to two very special shows, and both on the same day. The first, an afternoon slot at Latitude Festival (you can read the TLOBF review here). The second, an evening appearance in the courtyard of a former tax office on the banks of the Thames. And what a real treat it was.

It could be said that Somerset House is arguably one of the best venues in London, but only when the music is equal to the majesty of the surroundings. It also helps if you get a bit of luck with the weather as well I guess. Tonight, there’s no backing band or 20 piece orchestras as per her previous visits. Tonight we’re going back, old school style, to when it was just one woman and her harp (and also grand piano). She takes to the stage looking completely in awe and amazement at the stage set this evening (“Look at this place! It’s crazy!”) breezed through material from Milk Eyed Mender, opening with ‘Bridges & Balloons’, ‘Inflammatory Writ’, ‘Peach Plum Pear’ (“I gotta play a fast one!”) and ‘Sadie’, which receives the heartiest cheer of the evening. She even drops the wonderful ‘Colleen’ from the Ys Street Band EP flows gently, only intentionally disrupted by her stirring shriek, which had faces gleaming all around me. It’s a lovely relaxed atmosphere and she even at one point encourages audience members to help accompany her with vocal duties if she forgets the words. I believe she had earlier forgotten lyrics in her afternoon performance at Latitude. I could almost feel the collective Aww go around.

However, it’s the Y’s material which really cast their spell over you though. The long winded intricate tapestry which she weaves have you mesmerized and only later does it dawn you that the songs such as ‘Emily’ and ‘Cosmia’ are mostly hitting well over the 10-minute mark although you’re too enthralled and rapt by her untrainable Appalachian influenced wailing vocals and elaborate hypnotic finger-plucking to notice. It’s worth noting that her vocals this time around seemed much more confident vocals although due to lack of practise and shows, the show is littered with tiny mistakes. But not even those, the Somerset House clock bells which ring every quarter-hour, the bellowing wind and seagulls hovering over ahead can steal the magic from her performances.

The new material she plays tonight suggests that there’s definitely some quality to look forward to and enough diversification with them all being performed effortlessly on piano, but by the time she plays ‘Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie’ it’s all over. Not even the extended enthusiastic applause can bring her back for an encore. At one stage it seemed like she might’ve. Ah well. A few more songs wouldn’t have hurted and it’s only 10.30pm. but I guess we can’t complain. I walk along The Strand humming ‘Sadie’ to myself, and feeling quite lucky to have seen her at this one off show, knowing there’ll be other times.