Location: Ljubljana
Concert date: 02/27/2014
Attendance: 930
Ticket price: €20
A promising start at Kino Šiška. Aphra Tesla Operating System Incorporated kicked off the night in front of a fairly packed hall. The trio, whose sound is steeped in all things modern, wasted no time pulling the crowd into a kind of ethno atmosphere. Over a solid 45 minutes, Aphra Tesla blended ethno-rhythmic movement with experimental jazz arrangements. The chaos of the music kept a red thread running through it without any real breaks, accompanied by the singer’s dance moves. Home in the Zone deserves a special mention here, since that’s where the trio hit the peak of their performance at the Cathedral. Most of the set leaned toward the physical side under Aphra’s bodily baton, and with disco rhythms and free-floating piano leaps she gave the show a sensual edge. Every now and then the physical interpretation did overshadow the top-notch playing of this artsy trio, but they wrapped up at an absolute high. An opening act that was made to announce Anna Calvi.
An English performer with an unbelievably organic sound. On record, of course. Live, that organic quality wove itself even better into her backing crew of well-versed multi-instrumentalists. Her stage persona embraced the audience right away and clearly charmed them; no over-the-top showmanship, just a focused approach. The live show is comparable to her American “twin,” St. Vincent. In a cosmos of razor-sharp guitar arrangements, Anna Calvi exists as a more distilled version of St. Vincent, with a lot more melody. Strong images linger from last night’s concert at Kino Šiška: Sing to Me, Piece by Piece, Suzzane & I and Springsteen’s Fire. The level of technical playing, from both Anna Calvi and her band, exceeded expectations. The interpretation of the more romantic, confessional lyrics constantly recreated a sense of the ethereal, as in Sing to Me. It’s hard to describe the atmosphere of a song that, through Calvi’s signature sound, paints a landscape of a Mexican cemetery on a lazy, sunny afternoon. The feel and the playing technique left a deep impression; Calvi pulled off the atypical structures of the arrangements with magical ease, and her band followed suit. Last night’s performance showed how multi-instrumentalists can work in perfect harmony with each other. A total whirlwind of music-making at a level that settled down a bit during the cover of Springsteen’s Fire. Calvi’s already scorching guitar sound and her surprisingly powerful vocals (a gentler version of Nick Cave) were enough for a truly special rendition of Springsteen’s hit. One last blow and the scorching concert was officially over, with the ever-obligatory encore, of course.
The feeling after the night at Kino Šiška was incredible: a spaghetti western flirting with White’s fury and St. Vincent’s gentler soul. The Cathedral, draped in orange and echoing with the sound of a Telecaster. Calvi’s emotionally charged and technically flawless performance left a great impression on the crowd; thanks to her band, she managed to deliver a show with real added value. Calvi’s vocals, like her Telecaster, will definitely keep ringing in the minds of last night’s attendees at this English treat.
Setlist
1. Suzzane & I
2. Eliza
3. Sing to Me
4. Suddenly
5. Cry
6. Surrender
7. Rider to the Sea
8. First We Kiss
9. I’ll Be Your Man
10. Love of My Life
11. Piece by Piece
12. Carry Me Over
13. Bleed Into Me
14. Fire
15. Desire
16. Love Won’t Be Leaving
—encore—
17. A Kiss to Your Twin
18. Blackout
19. Jezebel
20. No More Words
21. Foxy Lady
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