Hackney Church, Hackney
“I’ve derailed myself…”
Fresh from the release of an LP, the English folk singer-songwriter resides at Hackney’s stoic church, befitting for her renowned repertoire: angelic vocals, winding folk-isms, and existential searching; transcending this holistic environment and changing of seasons.
Moments into tonight’s set, Laura Marling contorts with laughter during this brief moment of schadenfreude; momentarily stumbling over her own intricate words in ‘Nouel’. With a distinct likeness to the proto-folk pioneers over the last century (Joni Mitchell, Linda Perhacs, Dory Previn), Marling’s impressive recovery during the stop-start nature to her songwriting draws an audible applause from the crowd who will her to its finale. Preceded by a seemingly interminable 15-minute opening track (“That’s my test-of-faith opening song”), we soon bear witness to an artist who’s unafraid to fully excavate her mind amidst tonight’s spotlight; bearing all and sparing none.
For this repertoire of Marling’s dates back years, including her 2020 release, Song for our Daughter, reciting a prescient litany of tracks dedicated to her (then unborn, yet-to-be) daughter. Underneath the intensified spotlight of this capacious church, including drawn breath from the compact crowd, ‘Fortune’ and ‘The End of the Affair’ offer intricate tracks which devastate in their candid revealment of pain and longing (“Release me from this unbearable pain” / “I love you, goodbye / Now let me live my life”), alongside a distinct air of caressing vocals which awash us under the similar spells of Weyes Blood.
Soon thereafter, divulging into the songwriter’s most anticipated release to date, a simmering quartet of strings and trio of vocal harmonies enter stage-right, bolstering Marling’s recollection of her newly-founded, confounding motherhood. Swooning vocals and luscious strings incite a beautiful depth to ‘Child of Mine’, whilst ‘Patterns’ eases into a softened blow as the traditional-style guitar recitals pairs neatly with her existential findings (“And only then can I see that we’re patterns in repeat, and we’ll always be”).
Marling adds further strings to her eclectic bow in an unwavering piano recital of ‘No One's Gonna Love You Like I Can’, fraught with wavering, quivering vocals which mightily eek out each uttered syllable; continued within ‘The Shadows’ which bears an uncanny resemblance to Leonard Cohen’s downbeat, minor-toned writing; perpetually suturing one’s inner wounds. Seldom seen within her repertoire to date, Marling ventures further within her songwriting, pushing the darkened corners of her mind which bleeds into her performance, one which captivates throughout the myriad recitals across numerous instrumentals which reclaim a tangible stoicism.
After almost two hours confined within tonight’s holistic church, the audience is met with a confiding, honest statement from tonight’s revered songwriter: “I don’t do encores…this is really my last song”. As those in attendance shuffle closer, couples snuggling to one another for one final swooning, hypnotic vocal hums and guitar strums play a soothing supporting role to Marling’s revelations of motherhood; an ode to her newly-welcomed daughter present within her life (“I thank a God I’ve never met, never loved, never wanted, I sing it so I won’t forget”).
Tonight’s residency within Hackney Church ultimately garnered a holistic evening, bolstered by the confounding folk-driven songwriting beset by Laura Marling. For this singer-songwriter has sealed her authority within the current lane of modern folk, stripped of subliminal bells and whistles, succumbing to the very essence of this primitive genre and its stoic aura. In spite of an earlier derailment, Marling marks a captivating set tonight, warming us within the cramped, at times strained, confines of this church; a re-ignition of the effervescent fires of beloved, home-grown folk.
8/10
Laura Marling's latest LP, Patterns in Repeat, is out now via Chrysalis Records and can be found below.
Photo is courtesy of Samir Hussein whose work can be found here.
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