It turns out I'm missing the likes of Fleet Foxes and Clem Snide here in London by mere weeks, but I did manage to score a resell ticket to Bat for Lashes tonight. I don't know too much about BfL except that I like the single "What's a Girl to Do," and the lead singer, Natasha Khan (pretty much the whole of Bat for Lashes), has a truly lovely voice.
Tonight Khan floated on stage with her cute little upturned nose, loads of silvery shimmery eyeshadow, black fingerless gloves, and a fluttery victorian-style tie-on collar made of tulle. At the beginning of the show most of her hair was tucked into the collar but by the end after rocking on a couple of numbers ("For this one, I want to see you dahncing," she directed us), most of it had gotten loose.
Her voice reminds me of bjork in strength and range, only less piercing (which to me is very good). The new album is a bit slow, but the mood of the show didn't demand much more than that. When she thanked everyone genuinely for cheering, the guy in front of me turned to the guy beside him and said, "she's so SWEET." And he's right. When the microphone gave her raging feedback, she apologized in the transition to the next song and said "I'm gonna make it all bettah." At which point she got out these wind-chimey things and sang what can be best descrbed as a gorgeous lullaby. It was a great show: Khan held to her reputation for the fantastical, while still giggling at the shouts from the audience. I really don't get to see women singers often enough.
