Friday 9th October 2009 @ Colston Hall, Bristol
With Support From: Yeasayer

As we entered the plush, new golden-shining Colston Hall, my friend Kate said she thought it felt like an airport. I’m sure that’s not what they were going for when they spent £2mill plus on it but I could see her point. A “Bing-Bong” call for the start of the performance made it sound like an airport too.

The support act, Yeasayer, were from NYC and very cool. They wore paisley and checked shirts and boiler suits. It was hard to pin them down as at times they sounded like The Smiths meets Smashing Pumpkins with synths but then one of the other guys would sing and they’d sound completely different. Kate thought they sounded a bit like Arcade Fire. Then they were done and it was time for the main event, Bat For Lashes.

Before the band came on, fresh crispy white towels were laid out by the instruments; this is The Colston Hall after all. A sleazy guy behind us kept calling out; “We love you Natasha,” like a dirty old pap which was mildly distracting but when they started, the bass was far louder than any noise from the audience. Bat For Lashes, aka. Natasha Khan, wore a white Marilyn Monroe skirt and as she danced around I could see where the Kate Bush allusions reviewers give her came from. My friend Kate said she was pleased that they were doing a lot of music from the first album as she hadn’t liked the second as much and this was reiterated by several friends after the gig.

It was brilliant to see female drummers in the band. The vocals were in the vein of Bjork but without the accent and very prepossessing. I preferred the songs at the beginning and there were some slight sound issues which Natasha was clearly aware of because she kept signalling to the tech guys. If anything, however, it was good to see a talented band with no signs of manufacturing who were predominantly female.

In the encore, a video image was wheeled out on a trolley and the lighting (particularly the fairy lights) was fantastic. It was a very atmospheric gig with beautiful ladies and a guy with braces on his trousers.

www.batforlashes.com

Sophie Collard