Inside With The Outsider

Marina & The Diamonds
HMV Forum, London
9/11/10



This post may seem a tad irrelevant, but as someone who wants to hopefully make a career out of writing about music, I really want to share my reviews and experiences of gigs with you, and also practice writing live reviews. And who knows, we may generate some chit-chat!

It's been a few months since I last went to a proper gig so I was understandably excited about going to see Marina & The Diamonds, one of my favourite acts to surface this year who has left the interminable dross of people like Ellie Goulding far behind in her dust. I'd watched live footage of her plenty of times and, being honest, I unashamedly find her and everything about her mind-blowingly attractive. Like REALLY. So. Tension was high!

I'd never been to the Forum before and loved the look of it when I got in there! Marina herself described it as "old and theatrical", and it was. But it did strike me as one of those places where lots of people would stand and just have a drink rather than get moving like I VERY MUCH think you should at a gig.

She was supported by thecocknbullkid, who was ok but didn't really get the crowd moving, didn't have much stage presence. I had to feel for the girl really. I know that she's been round for a good couple of years longer than Marina and was a little bit hyped by the NME a while ago, but nothing's happened for her and now she's supporting a much more fresh, more potent act. She didn't really have a definite image or thing going on, which sadly you very much need if you're a young female pop act trying to make it in today's music world. Her backing band were incredibly tight but the set wasn't great. She said she has her first headline show in a while coming up at the start of December, so who knows.

thecocknbullkid

This didn't dampen my appetite to see Marina though. When the lights went down and the the opening music kicked in, I was on the edge! The band swanned out, clad sleekly in black and looking pretty pro. Projections started swimming across the backdrop- Marina's silouhette in a James Bond opening credits style animations which did wonders for my forlorn indie crush fantasies. But opening track "The Family Jewels" (not on the album- brave move!) was brilliant. Marina slunk out in a beautiful, figure hugging velvet dress, in which she was impressibely agile and managed to leap around the stage (and I mean leap) in it during "Girls" and "The Outsider". My main problem though was the sodding crowd. I was right at the front and they were TERRIBLE. I was surrounded by total morons who barely moved a muscle and spent literally the whole gig with their phones and cameras in the air. I could SEE the pictures they were taking. They were terrible! I felt like punching someone in the back of the head it was horrendous. A genuinely terrible effect of Facebook right there for you folks. Marina tactfully worked this out and after a wardrobe change into an outfit similar to the photo at the top, though accompanied by a novelty size flashing love heart belt, managed to get the whole crowed jumping in "Oh No!". All of her idiosyncracies and quirks, both vocal and otherwise, were present and amplified and I was fauning all over her, as was an especially dedicated contingent on the other side of the venue from me.

What I found fascinating was her effortless transition between the quirky, absurdist, zoned out, alluringly scary Marina who could prance around wearing an Indian headdress or absurdly coloured US flag tracksuit and the genuinely overwhelmed, colloquial, everyday Marina. It's a huge contrast from someone like Lady GaGa, where the facade never comes down. It was a strange thing, having her flick between the two, but created a lovely warm atmosphere and rapport with the members of the crowd who gave a toss.

The gap before the encore inspired mass chanting and Marina reappeared, alone, and launched into a solo rendition of "Numb"- just her and a piano- which was just delightful. It reminded me what a great melody and chorus that song has and inspired a great singalong. Then she finished on a huge note with "Hollywood", her biggest hit, which was everything it needed to be. As a girl with only one album of material it was her only option for finishing really, but still managed to get the terrible crowd jumping around for the duration, before a huge plastic burger was lowered from the ceiling in the last chorus. Which was a lil' bit odd.

Despite the shameful display from the crowd, Marina was stunning in every way. She's a genuinely strange figure in British pop at the moment and I hope so much that bigger things are in store for her.




Set List

THE FAMILY JEWELS
THE OUTSIDER
GIRLS
SEVENTEEN
ARE YOU SATISFIED?
ROOTLESS
HERMIT THE FROG
I AM NOT A ROBOT
OBSESSIONS
JEALOUSY
OH NO!
SHAMPAIN
MOWGLI'S ROAD
GUILTY
--------------------------
NUMB
HOLLYWOOD