She descended from space! Yet more sub-par / largely useless concert photography. But, forgive me, getting the digital camera charged up and sorted out after the weekend I had was just not happening...
Before I had left the house that evening, I spoke to my neighbour, CC. Where was I going on a Sunday night? 'To see a Swedish popstar,' I said. 'Oh my - there is nothing gayer than that,' she said, and to be honest, she wasn't far wrong.
So, the Astoria on a Sunday night. Controversial. To be honest, I did wonder if because of the high number of gays in attendance at the Sam Sparro/Robyn show, one or two had just stayed put from the previous night and slept in corners and eves of the building, seeking sustenance by licking the corners where sticky semi-dry patches of cider and black lingered beyond the reaches of whomever mops clean the floor of that place. I assume someone does clean it sometimes. For me, the wrecker's ball will come not a moment too soon. I just hope they don't find any gays screaming for rescue when they start to tear it down.
But on to Robyn. Or more accurately, Sam Sparro, for it was he opening the evening.
To be honest, when he was booked, he was probably seen as an outsider nobody with a bit of promise. How things change. Black and gold has, after all, made him a mini-star, even if it was his debut single and he still has a lot to prove. But the omens are positive - he was fab. Engaging, funny, with a much more powerful singing voice than I had expected. The gays (and mahhnnny lesbians) loved him and there were many yells of 'go Sammmmmmmmmy!' and so on. He was dressed most peculiarly however. The boyfriend stylist needs to check on this because he was wearing some gigantic oversize football-style tee shirt that could have been used as a family tent. It was so ugly. Surely he's insanely hot and lean underneath all that fabric? Would something a little more close-fitting or elegant been out of the question? Just asking.
Robyn arrived to howls of adulation and did not disappoint. She looked incredibly elegant with huge sparkly pink eyelashes and super-styled hair and ran through her set which was about as highly polished as they get. Excellent, strong songs from a hit album - what's not to like? She has been performing for so long that it almost came off as effortless. It was also a delight to hear a full show from her, rather than a festival set, but looking back at the post I made of the last time I saw her, it made me realise just how far she has come (in the UK, at least) in twelve months. That's what four or five hit singles and relentless promotion will do, I guess. Not one song was imperfect or excessive, every one delivered with snap and panache. With every heartbeat was a knock-out of course, but the major high point was Handle me which seems to be her signature song with the fans - the crowd sang every single word of it, loudly, particularly the 'I saw you at the station! You were there with what's her name' bit. If she can achieve this, it's clear she also could go a lot further - I was reminded of that line that Samantha says to Smith about his career, 'first the gays, then the girls, then everybody else'. Not that everybody else really needs persuading at this point: she approaches the threshold of greatness (internationally) and a superb new album is all she needs to seal it.
Robyn Handle me
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