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View Full Version : Cat Power last night (31/03/04) at Shepheards Bush - Baffling


*james*
01-04-2004, 08:48
Ok, so, I've seen a few gigs, but nothing like this one.

it was all going well, for a couple of songs. then it all went wrong. my friend and i have a theory gathered from stuff she said and what progressed, that she must have dropped some pills backstage, as she came on all happy and relaxed, but slowly lost all focus, songs would mesh into one another as she forgot how to play them or what the words were, she played one 10minute song at the piano ending with some deranged adlib ending and her saying that 'now the audience hates me' and getting the house lights turned up so we couldn't see her. some bloke came up behind her on stage and did the fingers in the ribs thing to her aswell, and scared the hell out of her!

and she just lost the plot... songs ended up being 30 seconds long then she would just stop and start something else. it was like watching a drunk mate play in their bedroom. and the crowd started getting annoyed, and some mad girl kept crying out that Cat Power was fantastic, until some american guy told her to '********* shut up!'. then finally, with all the house lights up and her sort of playing random snips of songs she annonced that 'the shows over... it has been for some time...' then a standing ovation, then we left as she was semi mobbed by a few people then staggered off.

i have never seen anything like it. really, when you get down to it, it was such a letdown, as by rights she should be utterly captivating, but last night, she was really just.... dull.

j

Barney_Tabasco
01-04-2004, 09:47
Oh no. I love Cat Power and really looking forward to seeing Chan at All Tomorrows Parties this weekend, but now i fear the worst. If she was off her head last night, what will she be like at a festival?? :eek:


:oh-hum:

tips4tnt
01-04-2004, 10:07
I've heard before that her shows are more "events" than "gigs", but that sounds well bizzare!

KRW
01-04-2004, 10:26
I've seen her supporting 'The Dirty Three', or someone, and she was just like this. Forgetting the songs, etc etc. I just put it down to her being 'kooky' and annoying. I like her music, but find her stage persona irritating.

wong fei hong
01-04-2004, 13:41
At last weekend's ATP, she was in beautiful voice, but played ridiculously quietly and sat virtually out of sight. She was drowned out by even mumbling audience members... a real shame.

I just think that she should stand up and attempt some kind of a show, or stick to record: her last album is so very good that these kind of performances do her no favours whatsoever.

James45
02-04-2004, 12:46
was this the one on John Peel's show last night? I though she had a stunning voice but it did seem to get a little 'improv' towards the end. Was most of that stuff from her new album?

*james*
02-04-2004, 14:19
Some of the songs were (I don't blame you, Maybe Not), a couple were from Moon Pix (MetalHeart and something else...), then some stuff i had never heard before, stuff not on any albums. Oh, and she did her excellent Satisfaction cover, or some of it at least, from the Covers album. And yes, her voice was utter amazing, captivating and EVERYTHING! and yes, improv is too simple a word.

but strangely, i feel compelled to see her again as soon as possible. go figure.

J:)

James45
02-04-2004, 14:48
I was driving home with my girlfriend listening and we both commented on how good her voice was at the same time. I think I'll definitely give those two albums a go, thanks.

*james*
02-04-2004, 16:11
James45 -

go for You Are Free, a brilliant intro to her, and it includes I don't blame you (wonderful), Good Woman (the sadest breaking up song i have hever heard) and Maybe Not (where her voice is so full of emotion it is beautiful). the rest of the album is superb, as is the Moon Pix album highlights being Say, MetalHeart,Moonshiner and The Colours and The Kids and American Flag.

basically, all her albums are great, but Myra Lee is VERY lofi, to the point of frustration some times, her voice is so low in the mix, and What Would The Community Think is quite dark, but has the excellent Fate Of The Human Carbine, Nude as the News, Bathysphere, In This Hole (guitar version. piano version on the Covers album) and They Tell Me.

Dive in and be overcome by her voice!

or something...

James

Barney_Tabasco
07-04-2004, 12:22
I was at ATP at the weekend and she was, erm, interesting! Like you've said, very all-over the place, very random, giggling, talking in a crap cockney accent, starting songs then stopping YET utterly captivating - how odd!

If only she'd not turned the house lights on (which is an odd thing to request with her being so shy), maybe the atmosphere would have been even better!