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Live review: Laura Marling, Birmingham Cathedral – 29 October

Karis Jones
Thursday 24th November 2011

If you thought Laura Marling in a Spanish bookshop was good (The Founder, 7 October), you should wait until you hear her in a cathedral. A myriad of aspects contributed to a truly unique show; the picturesque cathedral setting with its heart warming acoustics and a wonderfully diverse yet appreciative audience to name a couple.

Starting with Don’t Ask Me Why from most recent album ‘A Creature I Don’t Know’ we are all lured in like children in a sweetie shop (better than a book shop) Literally every single body in the cathedral is silent and watches ahead in awe as lyrics of folklore reverberate around the archaic room. When we thought it couldn’t get any sweeter, the songstress, a term that can only be used loosely to describe Marling, decides to whistle the instrumental in her song Night Terror. For those who are unaccustomed to her music, the fiddle instrumental in this song is like the epitome of beautiful compositions and to hear it whistled was just magical. How is it possible that a song with such a saddening sound can still manage to make someone smile in the end?

There is only one thing that left me wondering. As her latest album introduces electronic guitars and drums, The Beast being the most far removed from her older material, I was intrigued as to how this would sound live but instead was presented with a wholly acoustic performance.

Overall, her angelic, effortless performance style just topped off a wonderful matinee performance. And for those unfamiliar with Laura Marling, I really do advise that you get familiar.

Live review: Laura Marling, Birmingham Cathedral – 29 October

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