Laura Marling, O2 Institute, Birmingham - review
Singer songwriter Laura Marling treated gig goers to an airing of her new album when she played live in Birmingham.
Still only 27, Marling released her sixth offering Semper Femina last week to high levels of praise from the critics.
She played songs extensively from the new release when she performed a 90-minute set at the Institute, backed by her band.
Marling has described the album as topically being about her “understanding of femininity”, covering themes of female friendship, sexuality and art.
The first half of the show offered a chance for fans to hear the latest material live for the first time.
Marling’s musical style continues to evolve, with opener Soothing showcasing a languid groove far removed from her early folk background.
The audience’s warm response set the tone for the evening, as Marling showcased a run of new songs including Wild Fire, The Valley and Don’t Pass Me By.
The highlights from the new tunes included a rocking version of Nothing, Not Nearly.
Dressed all in white, throughout the show Marling interacted with the audience, joking that she was pleased that many seemed to be “return customers” who had seen her play live before.
She acknowledged that playing entirely new material for the first 40 minutes would infuriate some, before finishing the powerful run with Nouel from the latest album.
Having won the Brit Award for best female act in 2011, Marling could then turn to a back catalogue which has established her as a leading UK alternative music talent.
While she has not made a major impact on the singles charts, she drew upon the older albums to play some fan favourites.
Beginning with I Speak Because I Can she played a selection which delighted fans. The highlights included renditions of Daisy and Sophia.
Her image may suggest she takes herself seriously but Marling lightened the mood by getting each of the band, including the two female backing singers, to share an interesting fact with audience, to much amusement.
The night ended with airings of older material including Darkness Descends before fans went home happy with a rendition of Rambling Man.
