Review of Agnes Obel at Vicar Street on December 10th 2011
Review: Kevin Donnellan
Photos: Aidan McCarthy
Agnes Obel from Denmark sits at her keyboard, German Anna Muller is to her left, on the cello, and a Scot, Gillian Fleetwood, sits beside her on the harp. A European Union that actually works (who says Golden Plec don’t do biting political satire… you, just there). In the ideal confines of Vicar Street we are presented with a ninety minute argument in favour of forcing your kids to play an instrument.
Having seen Agnes Obel play St Canice’s Cathedral at the Kilkenny Arts Festival in the summer this is not a night for major surprises. Except the surprise that this is just as enjoyable a show to experience the second time in relatively quick succession. Gillian Fleetwood is a recent addition to the live show and the harp compliments things beautifully. Plus she slots in to the easy banter routine between songs that Agnes and Anna are fond of. If you went into this show blind you’d assume this was a band; each one of the three musicians has time to chat to the crowd and introduce a song.
Some musicians may overplay the cute talk between songs but here it perfectly complements the music and the night. We’re all sitting, the songs will all be played, no need to rush. Anna complains tongue-in-cheek that the lighting is too bright which results in her being plunged in darkness (it gets a big laugh); even the lighting person is judging the mood of the night perfectly.
Of course you can have all the stories and jokes you like but the music needs to back it up. And there are no worries here. Agnes’s (you would dispense with surnames too after seeing her play) piano is gentle when needed and forceful when appropriate. Anna demonstrates why Hollywood score composers are so fond of the cello and Gillian keeps the harp firmly the right side of twee.
Riverside is the best known song but it’s On Powdered Ground that packs the biggest punch. The cover of the Scottish folk song Katie Cruel deserves to be the definitive version of this song. “It’s a typical Scottish folk song,” explains Gillian. “In that it’s quite miserable.” It would be great to hear an Agnes Obel take on plenty more folk songs in the future.
Arguably some of the songs melt into each other a little but when the music is so enjoyably melancholic (that’s a thing) it hardly matters. This is one of her last shows of the year and there will hopefully be a new album out by this time 2012. By the time she tours album number two you’d hope Anna and Gillian will still be tow and that a lot more people are aware of what a great night an evening with Agnes Obel and friends can be.
