Reviews

lonely drifer karen

Tonight is a very quiet Tuesday night. In fact only three or four people have dared to brave the cold but no matter. Those three or four stay for an hour and a half to listen to some beautiful music.

The evening is opened by Jon, lead singer and pianist from well-known Bath band Slovakia. He plays around six songs for us on the piano, all of which are very melodious, emotive and passionate. As when one sees his band Slovakia play, the songs are performed with heart-felt honesty. Jon's falsetto carries his melodies and words with the tragic charm of a broken-hearted troubadour. Artists such Elbow and Radiohead spring to mind. In his last song he sings If I never recover its alright, cos its better to suffer. Its not easy to sum up a sound with a sentence like that and not sound pretentious. Yet there is no pretension here, except the pretension that music itself is guilty of when its damn good!

Tonight's headline act is called Lonely Drifter Karen and thanks to her drifting she has brought all the sounds of Europe with her tonight. Karen is a delicate little thing with long blond hair and wearing a white t-shirt and red trousers. She is originally from Vienna yet somehow manages to have a 60s Nico thing about her. She has a beautiful voice like a wavering swallow. Like Joanna Newsom it has that childlike, sweet and innocent quality to it which can be seen in her physical form.

She left Vienna five years ago and travelled to Sweden before ending up in Barcelona where she met the other two musicians who accompany her tonight. Melia plays keys and is from Spain whilst Giorgio is Italian and plays drums. Giorgio introduces the band in Italian before they begin their set. A trio of sleigh bells gently pulls us in before Giorgio begins on the drums and Melia plays the first melody on the keys that has the sound of a melodica. Karen plays the acoustic guitar and sings in her soft voice My heart beats like a tambourine, watch out for the rolling train".

Melia's arrangements and keyboard sounds are a big part in creating that entirely European sound that the group have. One minute we hear a melodica, the next a French accordion then its a circus waltz followed by a Russian dance and even a Gypsy tango. When Karen sings "the carousel is turning" one can almost see the lights and hear the laughter. Come out of your nutshell and scream for liberty! Why are you so passive? she cries, igniting the free spirit.

Karen has a way with storytelling, managing to convey that little spark of magic to the audience. She tells a tale from Moscow about a circus clown who brought a dragon to this town. Her accent adds to the enchantment whilst the haunting circus waltz combined with her light voice make the sound almost sinister. This world is crazy isnt it? she says as an introduction to a song of the same name. Midway through the song she raises and twirls a little parasol whilst marching on the spot.

When you were a little boy, all you touched was made of joy, and it seems that all Karen touches is also made of joy. I was certainly enchanted.

Ed Hutchinson