Tuesday, 20 September 2011

EMA & Waters - Cargo 14 Sept 2011

EMAs last gig at Cargo was an awkward support slot. I say awkward because even then there was clearly a large portion of the crowd who were there to see her and not necessarily headliner Scout Niblett. The excitement in the crowd was even more in evidence this time, by halfway through the support acts set the hall seemed almost full.

Not only does she put on a great show, Erika M Anderson is the only person I've ever seen who can pull off mens long johns & unwashed hair & still be alluring. "Do you like my pants?" she asked before stuffing a carrot into the crotch flap "I showed the to my mom & she didn't like them". By the end of the song she's chewing the end off said carrot & spraying it out over the stage. Songs range from breathy & fractured, like opener 'Marks' with only a violin and minimal beats on the drums to accompany her trembling vocals, to the all out noise of 'Milkman'. Closer 'California' is fueled with edgy dark venom as she performs her now familiar mock hanging with her mic cord. It's a fairly short set, but then they're only showcasing this years "Past Life Martyred Saints" album and throwing in a few covers. It's quality not quantity on show tonight, but the crowd don't let them get away without an encore though, there was a genuine roar & foot stamping to get her out for one last song. 





I've seen openers Waters before (supporting Wye Oak) but I was so much more impressed with them this time, they seem much more self assured and their performance was much more solid as a result. They're pretty energetic on stage, which causes a few problems tonight as the guys bounce around & accidentally stomp on each others pedals. I'm sure I wasn't the only one actually wanting to go and listen to the album after the gig.


 


For the full set, click the link to see the Ragged Words gallery


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