Bon Iver, o2 Academy Leeds, Tues 10th November
In a recent browse through the ‘1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die’, I discovered Bon Iver’s ‘re:stacks’ amongst the chosen few. If his performance on Thursday night was anything to go by, this is no exaggeration. Haunting, beautiful, melancholic yet strangely uplifting are some of the hyperbolic adjectives I could use to explain the set, but they all seem to fall flat when put on the page.
It seems pointless to try and construct praise for Bon Iver; judging by the sheer amount of people I knew who were going to see him and the glowing Facebook statuses left after- you all seem to know your love for the father of contemporary folk. If you’re not a devotee, this review is hardly going to change that fact. However, we fans knew we were in for a good show, and a good show is definitely what we got.
The spacious O2 was packed and though not the intimate setting you would normally associate with Bon Iver, he still managed to create moments of real intimacy across the room during his acoustic tracks such as ‘Flume’- enthralling the audience with his pitch perfect renditions. Some fans remain devotees of the first album and are taking a while to get into the second, claiming it to be less personal and too ‘big’ in its sound, though perhaps forgetting that it is only once that Vernon could retreat and record an album in his father’s cabin after the double whammy of an illness and a break up. The difference in direction is marked by the inclusion of a tight knit and professional band, enabling Bon Iver to achieve more variety than before. Big build ups of stunning arrangements interspersed with quieter moments reminiscent of his earlier work were shown in songs ‘Perth’, ‘Michicant’ and ‘Hinnom, TX’. The band only aided the intensity of closing song- before the encore of the crowd pleaser but not necessarily the best ‘Skinny Love’-‘ Wolves (Act I and II) ‘, leaving the audience singing the refrain “What might’ve been lost?” to have Vernon reappear on stage remarking ‘great singing guys!’
These songs are very much Vernon’s creation, but you could tell he was genuinely having fun playing these tracks with his band, perhaps more so than his solo offerings. No, you’re not going to be outrageously dancing and you probably won’t be geared up for a night out after a gig like this, but there’s something life affirming to watch such raw, understated talent. Bon Iver is one of the best out there at the moment.
9/10
