MUSIC

O2 Academy, Bristol (Mon 28 November)

He left the stage smiling, and so he should have – everyone else was too. Visually, sonically, conceptually… everything about Shadow’s performance was heart-stoppingly impressive: the kind of gig where you can, just for that small window of time, forget everything else.

The Shadowsphere was in full effect, providing a  blank 3D canvas for an AV show that ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous. So much to think about, so much going on – satirical images of the media (he had to get them in somewhere), a brief homage to Bristol (it’s the simple things…) and anything and everything in between. The music was equally as exploratory: elements of classic, well-known Shadow tunes were mixed with new material, samples were drummed, and nothing – nothing at all – was how it had been before. Marvellous, mixed-up, musical mayhem.
The concert absorbed all the senses, and almost forced you to find new ones that you didn’t know you had. It was funny, it was sad, it was beautiful and it was, above all, musically impressive. Hopefully it will remind him that true popularity is democratic. That when it comes down to live performance, to the essence of what music is about, his talent and passion will prevail. (Ella Pawlik)

Copyright Ella Pawlik 2011