Roundhouse,London
Blake tests novel material for his forthcoming album with each freshly unveiled song sounding totally different from the lastA radical spectacle is taking space at this James Blake gig. Abandoning his piano and unfolding his long limbs, he’s finishing his first UK show in over a year by standing at the front of the Roundhouse stage. His cracked falsetto sounds relaxed enough, and but the physical requirements of being a frontman seem novel; his only concession to them is a geriatric shuffle.
Tonight is a chance for Blake to test material expected to seem on his fourth album,some of which he has to restart as he falters with his loop pedal. Recalling his dubstep-influenced early EPs, Blake’s voice on novel single If the Car Beside You Moves Ahead stutters like a malfunctioning droid – apparently the result of hours of studio manipulation – yet he recreates the effect live, or leaving the audience perceptibly wowed. It’s uncanny and impressive; a cyborg pop concept warmed by human touch.
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Source: guardian.co.uk