BETH Jeans Houghton used to wear the outlandish garb of a performance
artist, but was concerned that the look detracted from her music; now
she has settled for a fetching blue rinse, smelly tour togs and the
words “don’t know” written across her knuckles.
And yet her live show could do with
an injection of visual ostentation to complement the inherent drama of
her ravishing pastoral pop and the athleticism of her soaring vocals,
which elegantly vaulted octaves on the delicate Dodecahedron and the
swooping Sweet Tooth Bird.
Instead, her presentation was a little
timid, the banter with her Hooves a touch too self-conscious and
Houghton herself shy enough to be put off her stride by the spontaneous
delight which sections of the audience took in her vocal skills.
Still,
this Newcastle songstress is definitely one to watch. She marries the
light, girlish tone of Laura Marling, the natural vocal power of
Florence Welch and the pagan imagery employed by both – “Wicker Man”
shouted one punter in approval. But this almost felt like faint praise –
after an hour in the presence of her effortless vocal gymnastics, it
seemed like only a paltry touring budget could dampen the prospects for a
voice like hers.
Seduction achieved, she rounded off her set with
an uncharacteristic snotty punk thrash and a throwaway cover of
Madonna’s Like A Prayer which flirted with karaoke but dealt a blow to
any accusations of preciousness.
Rating: ***
______________________________________________________________________
Author: Fiona Shepherd
Photo: Wattie Cheung
Source: scotsman
Date: February 21st, 2012
Original article: HERE
Beth has blue hair now? It may be just a wig, but she looks amazing! :)
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