Live Report: Sufjan Stevens – Royal Festival Hall, London

A truly spiritual experience...

Clash – like most publications – has a style guide.

It's something the team argued over, fought over, and it's something which nudges writers away from using the first person. There are always, though, exceptional circumstances.

Clash writer Gemma Hampson attended Sufjan Stevens' show at the Royal Festival Hall in London last night (September 2nd) and emerged enormously moved. Immediately, it was clear that, this time, the rules would just have to be broken.

– – –

Sufjan Stevens made my heart explode last night.

By the time he finished a powerful, emotional and huge version of 'Blue Bucket Of Gold', I couldn't actually speak. I tried, but my face just smiled and wept as I attempted to ask a friend what she thought.

If someone like Sufjan plays somewhere like Royal Festival Hall, you go. Because this is where you see mesmerising light bounce off glitter balls, shining through panels used for projection and morphing into some kind of almighty holy warmth glow that plays tricks on your mind. I'm an atheist. Sufjan is definitely not. It was spiritual.

This is where the five minute minimalist song ending his recent, incredible, album 'Carrie & Lowell' grows and swells like a stormy sea into 15 minutes of soul engulfing noise. The lights dim to show tonight's guest Nico Muhly playing the gigantic Royal Festival Hall organ, like he's possessed by Quasimodo. The reeds and pipes sound out behind space guitar and synth as you watch his body move and contort over the keys. It's dream like. You don't actually think you're seeing it at first. It's a moment that makes this more than a gig. You will never forget it.

It was one song among many that made this a very special night. The 40-year-old Michigan musician, who rarely plays the UK, didn't speak a word as he and his multi-instrumentalist band played 'Carrie & Lowell' in its entirety. It started a little ropey. A few guitar notes missed, a voice not warmed up. By the end of 'Should Have Known Better', I was in bits. The feeling, pain and passion of that song blossomed into a mass of perfect harmonies and intricacies that were so uplifting for a song so sad.

'Fourth Of July' was given a rich synth new arrangement too, brooding below the surface like a thunder storm before raining down on all if us as he repeatedly sang "we're all gonna die".

These mighty moments sat among some scaled back Sufjan, which is something we haven't heard live from him for years. 'Eugene' and 'No Shade In The Shadow Of The Cross' were beyond tender. They reached inside you and twisted your gut until the last note ended. I forgot to blink. The little sneak threw in a wonderful version of 'Vesuvius' from 'The Age Of Adz', as if this was the one old song he was going to play tonight.

Luckily, he came back for more, starting his mammoth encore with 'Concerning The UFO Sighting Near Highland, IL' – a title longer than the song itself. Wow. It began a section of the show where the 'favourites and hits' came out, and every one was perfection. Among them were 'Futile Devices', 'That Dress Looks Good On You' and a gorgeous new arrangement of 'Chicago', a song you wouldn't think could be performed with less than 30 people on stage. It showed the incredible talent of this five-piece band who moved around the stage like barn dancers, picking up their next instrument.

You know Sufjan is going to put on a show. You know his music is special. But nothing prepares you for the depth of what you feel at a show like this. It stays with you.

– – –

– – –

Words: Gemma Hampson

Buy Clash Magazine

-
Join the Clash mailing list for up to the minute music, fashion and film news.