Alexandra Palace, London
“This is a very life-affirming sight from up here.”
London's lauded producer and singer-songwriter, James Blake, returns to familiar territory ushering in his latest material and, with it, a chartered display of his elusive progression throughout the past decade.
Blake settles himself into his perched seat, obscured from view behind a litany of instruments on stage; this is the sight he’ll have for the next hour and a half underneath Alexandra Palace’s historic roof. Shielded by wafer-thin veneers of deep blue lighting stretched across the stage, the renowned UK producer and singer-songwriter subsequently delves into his latest set of career-spanning introspection, guided by delicate falsetto ranges, undercut with an eclectic slew of sampling and remixing.
As Blake reiterates the ‘homecoming’ nature to such a momentous occasion (“I had my first kiss 25 metres that way”), most of the audience tonight are keen to hear the sounds of his latest product released this year, Playing Robots Into Heaven, with certified approval from IDM mastermind and legendary producer Brian Eno. ‘Asking to Break’ and ‘I Want You To Know’ duly usher an aura of softened ambience, reminiscent of Eno or Oneohtrix Point Never's recent smatterings, before launching into the thumping theatrics pertaining ‘Big Hammer’, collectively enticing with its industrial-trap inflictions.
Whilst a few throwbacks of Blake’s work titillate the crowd’s appetite ('The Limit of Your Love’, ‘Retrograde’ and ‘Voyeur’) even these are ultimately inescapable of unexpected remixes and reworks to suit more modern palates. Complete with, a somewhat whimsical, cameo of Darude’s magnanimous ‘Sandstorm’ beseeching the latter track, the true nature of these singalongs showcase Blake’s impressive trajectory and evolution to date: never stagnant; forever curious. This curiosity has garnered fame and fortune for him elsewhere, as shown through tonight’s lauded cover of Frank Ocean’s ‘Godspeed’, an artist (along with Kendrick Lamar and Beyoncé) with whom he’s collaborated during his eclectic tenure.
In Blake’s live format, such influences undoubtedly bear to the fore amongst such tracks as ‘Fire the Editor’ and ‘If You Can Hear Me’ - protruding an ambient aura to that of Kelly Lee Owens and SBTRKT in the former and an uncanny reminiscence of Radiohead’s ‘Videotape’ in the latter’s delicately poised, piano-driven refrain which resonates through the capacious walls of tonight's historic venue. However, Blake’s highlight tonight comes through one of this year’s most enticing tracks, ‘Loading’, which surges transcendental, microtonal waves and bursts with a voluptuous crescendo upon a heavied mind (“Wherever I go, I’m only good as mine, which is only good if you’re mine”).
Tonight's performance, if anything, offers a neatly-wrapped full-circle moment within this producer’s home setting - proving one of the most eclectic producers in the wider realm of popular music. For not many producers from this country can boast with puffed chests the illustrious production credits, collaborations, influences and ultimate evolution that James Blake has undertaken in recent years (succumbed slightly to the venue’s unforgiving abyss-like trap). Blake not only transcends this stairway into heaven but also seems like he's a fairly omnipotent view for now, too.
7.5/10
James Blake's latest LP, Playing Robots Into Heaven, is out now via Republic and Polydor Records and can be found below.
Photo is courtesy of Cai Marle-Garcia whose work can be found here.
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