Bat for Lashes Makes the Fur Fly at US Tour Kickoff
- Posted on Aug 13th 2009 12:00PM by Liz Colville
- Comments (5)
"Let's dance," Bat for Lashes singer Natasha Khan told the crowd at the sold-out opening night of her US tour for 'Two Suns.' Indeed, the Anglo-Pakistani singer's piano ballads took a back seat for much of the night, serving as chill-out breaks between the thundering beats of opener 'Glass' and nearly a dozen other songs at New York's Webster Hall. Old tracks like 'The Wizard' and 'What's A Girl to Do?' were pumped up with the impressive skills of Khan's new band members, bassist Charlotte Hatherley, drummer Sarah Jones and beat-maker Ben Christophers. If the beat was too loud, Khan simply turned the vocals up. When it became too much, she settled at the piano for acoustic numbers like 'Good Love' and the understated 'Sad Eyes' from her debut album 'Fur and Gold.'
But the set started, ended and was dominated by the fast-paced, heavily-layered music the singer has lately been making. It seemed like the tragic 'Moon and Moon' would be her finale, but instead, it was a bouncy, grin-filled rendition of 'Daniel' that closed the night, displaying a confidence that Khan recognizes in herself. As she told Spinner in May, "Before I made this record, I listened back to the old one and I noticed how vastly my voice has changed and how much more confident I was; just naturally from touring and playing live so much, the vocal had much broader range."
The elaborate set decoration was another indication of how far Bat for Lashes has come from the handclaps-and-tambourine days of yore. Khan names New York Costumes, just down the street from Webster Hall, a favorite destination, and last night's wardrobe proved it. Waltzing out barefoot in a fur-fringed jumpsuit and daubs of sparkly blue face paint, Khan was surrounded by tchotchkes, Christmas tree lights and wolfish backdrops -- a far cry from the jeans-and-tank-top aesthetic of her 2007 show at Joe's Pub.
The Webster Hall show follows a set at Lollapalooza and a 'Late Night With Jimmy Fallon' performance of her latest single, 'Sleep Alone,' earlier this week. The band tours the US for the next month, then heads back to the UK and Europe for another dozen-plus dates.
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Reader Comments(1 of 1)
recklessdaughterat 8-13-2009
love her!
michandreat 8-13-2009
I was transfixed by the tribal drum sounds of Glass. Even with the power and fullness of the band, fortunately the vocals seemingly never got drowned out throughout the night.
Emmaat 8-13-2009
Glass is simply stunning, but I was also newly impressed with "Siren Song." I think it's my new fave off the album.
blond8flyat 8-14-2009
missed this one but saw a show this spring that was pretty sick. she is quickly becoming one of the most impressive chanteuses out there.
Jetat 8-15-2009
The acoustics at Webster Hall seem really set for like, House Night. But she worked it.