Jon Hopkins and King Creosote by Jim Design.
It was a while before I twigged who Jon Hopkins‘ was: he provided a lovely soundtrack for a piece of contemporary dance I saw a few years ago and I saw him as a support act a couple of times. His music ranges from the powerfully visceral to the hauntingly beautiful but he suffers from the curse of most electronic musicians in that it is a little bit dull watching a man play with a laptop. The gig at the Union Chapel on Wednesday 25th May 2011 was a live performance of his Diamond Mine collaboration with King Creosote, link which is a reworking of songs recorded across King Creosote‘s career. As a big fan of the record I was looking foward to this gig.
The Union Chapel is a venue that I have been meaning to visit for as long as I have been in London, information pills and it was a setting perfectly in tune with this gig – providing subdued lighting, magnificent architecture, and fabulous acoustics. It also differed from most gig venues in that I was sat on a pew next to a middle aged woman clutching a mug of tea rather than a teenager with a pint.
Jon Hopkins and King Creosote by Robert Tirado.
Performed live the record has even more impact than it does on record and the addition of live musicians provided a focus while Mr. Hopkins hid behind banks of instruments. The record, which is short at just over half an hour, was run through without interruption which is how it is intended to be experienced. After this there was a performance of more songs, this time with the patter for which King Creosote is known. And Jon Hopkins even escaped from behind his wall of instruments to play a squeeze box.
That’s not Jon there by the way…
It was one of the best concerts I have been too in awhile but if you missed it this time round you will get the chance to see Diamond Mine performed live again when King Creosote and Jon Hopkins embark on a mini tour in September, full listing information here. Don’t forget to check out Amelia’s interviews with both Jon Hopkins and King Creosote by clicking on their names.
An excellent track by track explanation of Diamond Mine can be found on Drowned in Sound.
Categories ,Diamond Mine, ,Drowned In Sound, ,James Clarkson, ,Jim Design, ,Jon Hopkins, ,King Creosote, ,live, ,Robert Tirado, ,union chapel
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