Not Many Experts recently identified the two stock introductions for reviewing the music of Ellie Goulding:- “I am very very clever and first wrote about Ellie Goulding in the year 150BC, here.”
- “Due to recently being named the BBC Sound of 2010 and winning a Brit Award, there was always going to be a lot of hype surrounding Ellie Goulding. The question is, though, has she lived up to the hype?!?!?!?!?!”. Cue disappointing review in which they will probably conclude that, no, she has not.
And yes, I'll admit to being disappointed by her album, Lights, but as kDamo rightly points out, we've been listening to some of the album's better tracks for months and, if it had emerged fully-formed before the hype machine went into overdrive, we'd probably all be hailing it as a masterpiece.
So, after positioning myself up the front of The Academy well before Kildare band Planet Parade take to the stage and deliver a decidedly impressive set, I wait for Ms. Goulding to appear.
Armed with a guitar and cutting a slinky figure in a fitted black outfit, the singer takes to the stage with her bandmates and, with minimum fanfare, launches into 'Lights', an iTunes only bonus track I didn't realise existed until recently.
Ellie's vocal prowess is instantly apparent as she delivers a rousing, pitch-perfect rendition of the song, immediately following with sprightly numbers 'Everytime You Go' and 'Your Biggest Mistake'.
Although she's visibly overwhelmed by the emphatic reception she is greeted with and doesn't engage in much chit chat between songs, the singer barely puts a foot wrong musically as she works her way through the setlist.
A few songs in, she sets aside her guitar for 'This Love' and 'The Writer' but, just as it seems the set is beginning to sag under the weight of these slightly MOR numbers, she takes to the drums for 'Salt Skin' and elevates the set to a whole new stratosphere.If there was any doubt over Ellie's superstar potential, it's obliterated at this moment as Ellie serves up the highlight of the night. Thrashing violently on a drum and cymbal while delivering a vocal performance that reveals the light and shade of her distinctive singing voice, Ellie displays a flair and striking originality that some of the album's weaker material doesn't showcase quite as well.
It's plain sailing from here and Ellie sustains the momentum by swiftly launching into breakthrough single 'Under The Sheets'. She then exits the stage only to return moments later for an encore comprising a pared-down version of 'Wish I Stayed', a gorgeous cover of 'Roscoe' by Midlake and current smash 'Starry Eyed', which induces mild hysteria from some of the more 'enthusiastic' audience members.
Already, some have ranted about the gig while others have raved, but I'd be inclined to position myself somewhere in between. Ellie's talent is undeniable but, in terms of her live performances, a little inexperience definitely shows.
She needs to figure out how to engage with the audience a little more, so that people leave feeling more of a connection to her music. Presumably this sort of thing come with practice and I reckon, with a few more killer songs, Ellie Goulding has the potential to graduate to the big league.
Ellie Goulding - Under The Sheets (Live at The Academy, Dublin)
[Photos: Damien McGlynn, Video: Finian Murphy]
2 comments:
Sounds good. I can't wait to see her live. Hopefully she'll come to NY soon...
Engaging with the audience comes with practice? Have you ever seen Muse? They've had loads of practice over donkeys years and won tons of best live band awards yes they still are incapable of engaging with their audience!
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