james blake - outgrowing his light show?

i saw james blake the first time when i was studying in berlin last year. i was immediately fascinated by his music when a friend played his klavierwerk ep as background for her art project, so when i found out he was playing at berghein a few weeks later, i had to go. needless to say, he was fantastic. fast-forward a year, and i knew i had to see james again when he came to paris.

and i have to say - the man doesn’t disappoint. i arrived a bit late for the opening sets, but just in time to squeeze into the front row for james’ set. blake’s set was physically sparse, something i always appreciate about him - music is the focus, not him or the set designer. all you get is a little light show and some great music.

the view for 99% of james’ set

needless to say i loved the show. it was great seeing james in a real venue, not a club (the only negative difference being that berghein’s sound system is better). but, seeing james blake in concert is less of a music or “concert” experience, and almost more of an evangelical one. i’m a big fan of the gospel-esque james blake; the key changes and voice modulation choirs, building to a pinnacle and breaking over you with a crash. seeing the girls next to me put their hands in the air in prayer-like reverence was fantastic, until i realized they were just being annoyingly drunk (something they continued all night). concerts, am i right?

and that’s the issue i had with the show - the purpose is being lost. blake wasn’t a popular artist, last i checked, but he’s undoubtably gaining a lot of popularity very quickly. and i understand why, i completely understand and encourage it - he’s a genius, a very talented man, and one of the few artists who really deserves his attention (will it be his “fame” in a few years?). it’s always just a little heartbreaking when people begin to gather around an artist because of reasons other than the music. and, although this paragraph seems near eulogistic, i want to make clear that it’s not james i’m disappointed with, it’s his new fans. although i believe we still have time until the new fans really become a problem, i foresee a problem developing for james just like for nearly every popular artist that came before him.

yes, i know james won’t always make post/demi-gospel music (and even that his next ep will be more “dubstep” - a word that’s come to nauseate me), i just hope that he keeps the same love and passion for the music that comes through so viscerally in his work up until now. regardless, i’m eagerly awaiting his next piece.

(Source: benjaminfainlight.com)