Groove Armada, Forum, London NW5 3/3/10

Live Review

Groove Armada @ Forum, Kentish Town, London NW5 – Wednesday 3/3/10

** (solid performance)

Pulling in a packed house to Kentish Town’s Forum on Wednesday night, Tom Findlay and Andy Kato’s Groove Armada seemed keen to leave their arrival on stage to the very last minute.

Perhaps concerned that the crowd would still be funneling out of nearby boozers having watched the most anticipated England friendly in years, Groove Armada finally emerged at nearly a quarter to ten.

Huge applause, massive sound and a great venue, Forum was packed to the rafters with a crowd that was more experienced than baby faced but still punched its fair share of appreciative youth.

Introducing a heavy load of new material from recent album Black Light, the band met with a warm early reception. Too many seemed uninterested in new singer SaintSaviour – a bleach-blonde futuristic reincarnation of La Roux with a penchant for Yoga-style arm workouts.

In contrast, when long-time collaborator MC M.A.D landed, the show took off. Effortlessly guiding the band through Get Down, M.A.D’s performance went down a treat. A return to the stage in the encore saw the band finish with a rollicking Superstylin’ creating chaos in every corner of the venue.

Underneath the tripping laser show (no drugs were consumed by the writer), Groove Armada lacked true musicianship, leaving the show rather two-dimensional. A going-through-the-motions approach to Ibiza classic At The River had more than a few people wanting more in an encore that was worth the entry fee alone.

Everything was solid – everything sounded fine – everyone enjoyed the show. Black Light may demonstrate that Groove Armada’s sound is changing, but their live act still shows they are a band that can easily operate at the highest level.

Leaving themselves just an hour and fifteen minutes to wow an audience that could probably have danced all night was a hard task. Unfortunately tonight, Groove Armada didn’t quite hit the mark.

Steve McNeill

Corinne Bailey-Rae - The Sea

Corinne Bailey-Rae - The Sea (Good Groove/Virgin)

Melancholy meets masterful on wistful soul songstresses’ new arrival ****

To many, Corinne Bailey-Rae is still defined by the two singles that launched her onto the UK music scene back in 2006. “The Sea” doesn’t quite represent a goodbye to the feel-good soul vibe of “Put Your Records On” but the record certainly suggests a changed woman.

“The Sea” is an album that intertwines life and death. The loss of her husband (saxophonist Jason Rae) plays a significant role in some of the songs and performances here, creating equally great moments of tragedy and triumph.

Eyes to heaven, Bailey-Rae begins with “Are You Here” a calling card to her lost love and in the context of her recent bereavement it’s obvious that the vocal and instrumental anguish here is real. Gladly enough Bailey-Rae doesn’t dwell on despair throughout the entire record. A classic-sounding soul romp “The Blackest Lily” is enough to keep the foot tapping for the remainder of the record and “Paris Nights/New York Mornings” is an affirmation of life in the fast lane –a steadfast commitment to staying alive.

Facing death with elegance and style has resulted in an album that is a tribute to a man who is credited with opening a young Corrine’s eyes to the delights of jazz and soul. The production, at a moments notice swells from low-key to epic on several tracks and Bailey-Rae’s at times whimpering vocal is in danger of being swamped by the orchestral emotion – but she always pulls it through.

Caught up in the web she spins its Corrine’s emotion that we feel – her loss and her tragedy. In the moments of darkness she finds light and beauty. Despite the surely cathartic nature of creating this record, Bailey-Rae has dredged up a mini masterpiece that leaves us satisfied for now, but ultimately looking forward to the future.

Steve McNeill