This gig was effectively IMOGEN HEAP'S practice run for her upcoming tour in US next month. Imogen has come a long way from her first solo recordings, through the top ten single 'Blanket' with Urban Species, to Frou Frou's trip-hop pop duo collaboration with Guys Sigsworth to her now solo attempt album offering 'Speak For yourself'. Imogen produced, sang and recorded everything on this opus, on her own label with no major backing. She was out to prove a point and so she did. Her single 'Hide and Seek' has and is still all over Radio One and was theclosing song the to the US TV series 'The O.C' too boot. Not a bad riposte to the man, by anyone's standards.
Imogen on stage is an absolute wonder: she is not afraid of being herself or making any blunders. At first she explained to the audience that she wanted to perform everything herself just the way it sounded on the CD and not just piano performance. She wanted to include the atmosphere and the synths and the various tweaky-producing instrument samples, just as they are on said disc.
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On the night she was surrounded with keyboards, consoles, bleeps and gadgets of all sorts. After a tricky start she managed to perform her songs remarkably, and her "mistakes" as she called them weren't mistakes but just part of the whole thing that is Imogen Heap. She is truly amazing, a little quirky but truly amazing.Most of the songs were torn from the new album from 'Headlock' to 'Hide and Seek', apart from the closing reference to her past with Frou Frou's "Let Go" (soundtrack to the film 'Garden State').
My tastes tend to linger with the electronic synth sound, this explains my fondness to this artist, but even her last two songs when it was just her voice and the piano were truly breathtaking. I loved Frou Frou and now I am truly smitten!!! We love you Immi!!!!!!!!!!
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