Music > Live Reviews
Kristin Hersh
Norwich Arts Centre
22/11/16
A blustering and dark Monday night in November was a perfect accompanying atmosphere to what promised to be an intimate evening with ex Throwing Muses founder, fierce humanist, feminist and proto Riot Grrrl Kristin Hersh.
No support or band, just her, a guitar and her latest book of poetry to entertain the predominately 40+ seated audience. Kristin’s life has not been a bowl of cherries in recent years, and the sharing of her demons commenced with Bright which also opens her latest album Wyatt at the Coyote Palace. Moody lyrics and menacing playing immediately conjured a tone which would be set in place throughout; Kristin does not make party music. The crowd soaked up a lot of doom fuelled and pain-filled allegory in the first three or four numbers with scarce contact from the stage, but soon enough we were allowed to relax, slightly, with a reading from the book. Her voice is perfect for poetry; gravelly, laconic and fully aware of the irony in some lines. Without the verse cutting through the despair we may all have been overwhelmed with the sadness she conveyed.
Her choices of tunes were drawn from the recent two albums in the main, but Your Ghost from 94’s Hips and Makers provided some familiarity and felt entirely at home within the post break-up setlist. Detox was a highlight for me, having an irregular speed, frequently switching with no warning between pretty quick and walking pace; this was when I realised what a fantastic musician she really is, with nowhere to hide onstage and all eyes on her. Kristin’s eyes rarely left a point at the back of the hall so how she knew where her hands were going is a mystery as no part of the fretboard was left unmolested by strummed chords and picked notes.
The evocative words and sense of menace portrayed by the bass heavy playing were captivating. I found myself imagining Lana Del Rey sitting in front of a couple of hundred people aged fifty who still wanted to hear what she has to say, and be moved by it. It’s true to say her high notes are no longer a speciality, but the rest of Kristin’s register has depth and feeling, there was an unquestionable talent on show. I learned later about the Strange Angels, fans who fund her music directly, allowing creativity unchained by commerciality and providing space for Kristin to let her muse take her where she need to go, rather than attempting to chase the mainstream.
The sound provided by the team at Norwich Arts Centre deserve a shout out as every note was crisp and full, and one of the best sounding evenings out of the many I have attended at my favourite venue in town. It all ended very early, around 9:40, but no one was complaining as spirits felt renewed and energised; connecting with a profound soul doesn’t happen every day and it’s probably worth the wait. She still has gigs all week around the London and the South East, and I hope they are as poignant and rewarding for those who get the chance to see this enduring performer.