Feist at the Royal Albert Hall

Last night I went to a Feist concert with a friend. Until recently, I didn't really know much about Leslie Feist apart from her catchy 1-2-3-4:

and I'm so glad that I was introduced to her music, because I'm a big fan now. The concert took place at the Royal Albert Hall and featured music mostly from her new album, Metals. This album is another world from the playful and lighthearted 1-2-3-4. It is much deeper and in times quite wistful. But it's never depressing, due to its uplifting beauty. Wholesome might be a good word to describe it too. The creative and extensive use of percussion instruments adds to the melancholic mood but it is her vocals, so delicate and yet paradoxically powerful, that really shines through for me.

With such a stunning album, my expectations were quite high for this concert. I wasn't disappointed, it was such a beautiful concert. Not only was the music fantastic, the concert was visually stunning. There was a big screen behind the band which had abstract images projected onto it which blended so well with the light effects and the music. I also loved how there often were close ups of the band projected onto this screen blended in with the abstract images, particularly interesting when unusual percussion instruments were used, like windchimes and a punch-hole music box.

It was such a fantastic sensual experience, musically and visually. The atmosphere was also something else, especially when Leslie invited members of the audience to slow dance on the stage.