Joanna Newsom @ Latitude

Latitude Festival, Henham Park, - 20 Jul 2008

by Dan Worth

What happens if you write long songs

"She leaves the stage to thunderous applause, having created one of those rare ‘festival moments’ that will stay with us long after the park gates close"

Sunday morning at Latitude at it’s fair to say the majority of people are suffering from cider-induced hangovers. Despite this there is a huge turnout at midday for Joanna Newsom and the unique sound of her harp and lyrics. Each song lasts so long and contains so few repeated phrases you have to wonder how she remembers all the lyrics. Although as it later turns out, sometimes she doesn’t…

Newsom talks to the crowd as she sits down saying: “I’m a feeling a little nervous, this is the first time I’ve played solo for a long time, without an orchestra." It doesn't show - she launches into her songs with the composure of someone who is at the top of her game, and sure can play a mean harp.

Mixing in a few new songs on piano alongside tracks from her albums, it’s a sound that is quite unlike any other. Her pinched, sometimes strangled vocals are perfectly suited to the harp – a rarely heard instrument – and the almost medieval lyrics sit on top, giving her an aura of something bordering on the magical.

Then during her penultimate song 'Sawdust and Diamonds' something quite unexpected happens. After another seemingly endless series of linked sentences she stops, looks out at the crowd and says, “Oh shit! I’ve forgotten the words!”

A diehard fan at the front shouts the next line to her and she carries on…for about thirty seconds…before it happens again. She casually picks away at her harp, visibly running the words over in her mind, trying to remember what comes next. She struggles on for several minutes, stopping, being prompted or remembering, carrying on, then stopping again, before conceding defeat by ending the song with a mock-triumphal “Yes!”

The crowd go wild but she protests, “No don’t clap! God how embarrassing, that has never happened before!” But while she may find it embarrassing, for the crowd, it’s charming and her playful personality in dealing with the situation only helps endear her further. There’s no sense that it’s unprofessional, or unrehearsed, just a genuine forgetfulness – which given the collective hangover in the crowd is quite acceptable.

She ends with ‘Peach Pear Plum’ – “This one I definitely know!” – and leaves the stage to thunderous applause, having not only re-energised an entire audience with her soft, soothing music but also having created one of those rare ‘festival moments’ that will last long after the park gates close.

Picture: prusakolep

Be the first to comment on this article