Noise/Crush

21 October 2013

Anna Calvi @ Islington Assembly Hall - 08/10/13




I feel like I’ve waited years for to see this woman perform live.  I first became aware if Anna Calvi when she released her debut album (although I'm assured the rest of team snh were across this one from way-back when and even almost booked her for a show, before she became a big deal and got an agent and stuff). But it wasn't until I heard her 6Music track-by-track pre-Mercury Awards interview that my fascination for this artist truly began.

I couldn't work out how such power and such, for want of a better word, oomph could be expelled from the lungs of a woman so softly spoken. Anna Calvi’s speech is almost a mumble, a shy mutter that one may expect from an introverted individual. Yet when she sings, her voice becomes deep, rich, and forceful; a tumultuously tuneful torrent.  Now I have borne witness to her live showcase, the mystery of how these two personas exist as one is still no clearer to me.

She opened with the gutsy track 'Suzanne and I'; a song that is full of musical pushes and pulls. It lurches forwards with dramatic crescendos, and then draws you into the soft, safe realms of serenity before hauling you directly back into the realms of calculated cacophony.


Calvi's presence was effortlessly impressive. Her impeccable outfit and assured demeanour imposed a silent power that resonated audibly when she sang.  Throughout the performance she barely said ten words, but when she did, we, as an audience hung off every single one.

In a recent interview, Calvi confessed that her favourite type of gig was one where the audience listened in silence then loudly applauded.  I can't imagine how any other type of gig would work for a showcase like hers. Her wish was the people of Islington Assembly Hall's audience command. Everyone stood, or sat, enraptured as she and the band played.

The four performers on stage were enviously proficient with their instruments. The second song 'Eliza' really allowed the Calvi and her cohort to raise the bar. 'Eliza' is musically less complex than some of the other songs, but is nonetheless high-impact by way of its sheer gusto. 


The backdrop throughout the show was a simple horizon. This was subjected to intricately expert lighting; cool blues, seething reds and which created a sense of theatre.  It drew an audience of around 400 people into the meticulous mind-set Calvi expresses through each musical moment.  The show felt almost operatic at times. 

The gig marked the release of Calvi's second studio album 'First Breath', an album every bit as fascinating as her first.  Calvi’s albums are an invitation into a world she has created; a labyrinth laced with Nick Cave, PJ Harvey and Django Reinhard influences. 

The set wove the two albums together seamlessly. Standout moments mostly came from the crowd-pleasing first while tracks from the second exposed a layer of Calvi’s recent emotional state.  The sense of change, loss and depression heavily feature in many of the latest tracks and her style of writing has become more open, more revealing and more humane. However, she still maintains her sense of musical visualisation and the ability to perfectly utilise changing dynamics to their best effect.

She ended with her cover of, ‘I think you know what’s coming’ she quietly joked before launching into ‘Jezebel’. Captivating, charismatic and commanding, Calvi’s performance was compelling and entirely worth the wait.

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