Live Review: Aldous Harding at Town Hall, Birmingham

Without a word to the crowd Aldous Harding shyly emerged from the back stage shadows and began singing the title track of her new album Train on the Island. With her singular voice backed by four outstanding bandmates she held the audience in the palm of her hand, taking us through a spell binding set list. From gothic folk to art pop, Harding’s range was immense, singing in a host of wildly different voices, each as weirdly beautiful and captivating as the last.

The singer was aloof, hardly acknowledging the crowd except to react with a wide-eyed, almost concerned, smile at the rapturous applause she and her band received after each song. Her dancing was otherworldly, like she was being possessed by the twinkling, hypnotic soundscape, contorting her hands and rolling her eyes to the back of her head as she sang. It was clear that Harding was truly immersed in her music, and this immersion dragged us all in further. When the whole band were playing together the sense of concentration and connection, the groove, was palpable. The drumming was tastefully stripped back, whilst the guitarists played attentively and romantically. In a handful of songs the pianist Mali Llewelyn picked up her harp and transported us to another planet.

For the more bare-bones songs of the night, Harding sat down and tuned her guitar for a moment whilst the audience waited patiently, almost as enthralled as when she was singing. Once everything was just right, she would begin. Her artful lyrics left her mouth like magic, casting a spell on the crowd with a wholly unique, shapeshifting voice. At times she wore an almost pained expression on her face. It seemed as though she was opening up, like she was conjuring up ghosts of her past for us all to see. Her lyrics are eccentric, arty, sometimes nonsensical, but together with her uniquely gorgeous, unfiltered voice she managed to create an atmosphere that enveloped and moved each and every audience member.