LIVE - Joanna Newson

There’s an empty seat next to me that was meant to be for someone very special but she can’t be here and I’m missing her terribly, but for two hours Joanna newsom takes us by the hand and leads us into her world where you forget everything else outside.

Being at the royal Albert hall i was expecting a full orchestra, but what we get is her band, consisting of violin, banjo/tambura & drums. Meaning the arrangements tonight are different to the album versions, and take on a beauty all of their own. Joanna herself is bubbly and excited to be here, especially as one of her heroes; Roy Harper played the whole of his 1971 stormcock album (her favourite album) as her support act.

The royal Albert hall is a special place anyway but with Joanna’s dreamy music filling it, it becomes magical. It’s hard to describe just how beautiful her harp playing is, but it has 8,000 people captivated, the rest of her band is excellent, adding extra dimensions without overpowering the delicate harp. the whole show is just perfect making it impossible to pick out highlights, she plays the whole of ys and alot of milk eyed mender, there is a traditional Scottish song where earlier support the more brothers lend their Simon & garfunkel tinged vocals. On colleen, from the ys street band ep, the tambura gives an eastern European flavor alongside newsom’s yelps. In cosmic she sings “though I tried so hard my little darling’ I couldn’t keep the night from coming in”, but tonight I swear tonight she does, we are suspended in her imagery filled lyrics.

She ends her set with a new song, playing on her own for the only time tonight; the song is about love and is utterly breathtaking. When she finishes there is one of the loudest ovations i’ve ever heard, tonight the royal Albert hall is hers.

she returns to encore with only skin, the longest song from ys at 17 mins, it’s getting late (after 11pm) and I have to get all the way back across London on a Friday night but I can’t move, I’m mesmerized. When she finally finishes I have to run for the train’s home, and only just make the last train home from Liverpool st, but it would have been worth missing it for tonight.

Jon
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