Lisa Hannigan – St John’s Church, London, 10th December 2008
For a first solo UK gig, Lisa Hannigan hasn’t exactly gone for the small, dark club, with sweat dripping from the ceiling option. St John’s church is somewhat cavernous inside, with huge white pillars adorning the stage and a large red curtain hanging importantly behind the band lending a bit of grandeur to the occasion!
Being a church, the acoustics were up to the challenge and were put to good use right from the beginning. Lisa’s voice is roaming and breathy and sometimes reminds me of Björk in her quieter moments. Providing a subtle blend of indie, lo-fi and folk (even if that does sound like a whisky advert), she has clearly brought together a talented bunch of musicians for her band.
Songs like Venn Diagram really showcase her vocal range and an excellent cover of The Lady Is A Tramp ups the tempo a little from the gentle pace that’s been the way so far tonight. A sonic assault this is not, but then taking place in a church, this is the neither the time nor the place for thrashing guitars and crowd surfing.
The songs are lively at the same time as being low-key affairs, so much so that Lisa often looks like she is about to break out into Thom Yorke style dancing from her slightly more reserved moving and shaking. A altogether calmer, more relaxed gig than I’m used to but enjoying and uplifting nonetheless. And whoever chose the Ghostbuster’s theme tune to play the crowd out after the band had left the stage is clearly a genius.
By Mark Williams
