The Irrepressibles - The Human Music Box Tour

Listening live music. It's whole lot different from listening to a cd or watching a videoclip. Live music gives something special, but when it doesn't work in whole, then it doesn't. I went to see finally The Irrepressibles live and was waiting for something totally amazing, but was disappointed. It's a feeling when you are waiting for something great, but you get to hear only guitar and no singing. The debut album "Mirror, mirror" is great but now they played only one song from it, "In this shirt" but mostly songs from the coming album "Nude".

Beginning of the concert took too much time to start musically. Beginning was bit flat. Jamie McDermott has amazing voice but now the energy couldn't come always trough. Set up with big cube and turning stage was nice, but when you have to perform in four different ways and show is only one hour long, you get to see lot of the back of the performers which is a pity. White curtains that were hanging trough the whole show was blocking too much and keeping the performers distant. Special thanks go for using the video projections that were beautiful. Having a hall full of projected white flying birds is beautiful.

Here you can find a video of the performance at Holland Festival.

http://www.uitzendinggemist.nl/index.php/aflevering?aflID=12690602&md5=5ef5279bd922023589f5b766ba3d560d

Also the costumes and "uitstraling" of the performers was less that I would have expected after seeing the videos. McDermott had a normal shirt with long wings sort of like straps hanging from the sides and the hair covered lot of his face. In the videos you see how they put so much effort on every small detail; the hair of all the musicicians, make up, costumes and movement. Now there was only couple moments where players took the movement into their playing.

The track list was partly something like this: "Ship", "The state of it all", "New World", "Pale sweet healing", "Arrow", "In this shirt", "Boy in the lake" and "Prince".  The most special songs left in my mind were "In this shirt", "Prince" and "New world". "New world" had a special beginning that turned the whole hall into a sweet sound box. You didn't know where the sound was coming from anymore. You were send into a dream like world of sound. "Arrow" was a great song with a beautiful piano and cello. "Prince" was most beautiful and captivating song of the whole set, a beautiful song about love. McDermotts voice got the space that it needed and grew until the ceilings with beautiful lyrics...
"...see me running, running, running, from here, to you, it's a strange love inside, it's getting louder, louder..."

I was still waiting for to hear "Nuclear skies", "Forget the past" and "The tide" but the end of the concert came like crush into a wall with a hi-speed car. Sudden! It felt like something was brought only half away. Like somebody would guide you only halfway the crosswalk, to be hit by the cars? I think they could have given so much more. Also the audience was quite strange, lot of people left in the middle of the show and in the end you could hear some "Boos!" It feels bit empty when one of your favorite band lets you down live, when I know they could have given so much more.

I replace my loss with listening the missing songs from "Mirror, Mirror".
And watching the video clip of live concert "Mirror, mirror" from Queen Elisabeth Hall 2010 and Holland Festival the other day. Miss that costume, that make up and the hair. After watching the clip now two times from Holland Festival I start to like it again.

"Forget the past"

You'll be the way to begin
You'll be the the water on stain
You'll be there calling my name
Jamie, Jamie
You'll have a warrant to kill
All of my fears in you spell
Into me all of your world
Find me, find me (x3)

My love, my love
My love, my love 

You'll be the essence of fire
You'll take all of my desire
You make me bold and inspired
Know me, know me
You'll be the eye of the storm
You'll be the lectures of warm
You'll be the dreams and the throne
Know me, know me (x3)

My love, my love
My love, my love 

Find me inside the calm of the storm
Where lovers' desires might come with the dawn
we sit on the grass wait for machines
and forget the past (x2)

You'll be the way to begin
You'll be the the water on stain
You'll be there calling my name
Jamie, Jamie