A Camp + Leona Naess + Kristopher Astrom @ Birmingham Glee club – 28th April 2009
I like gigs at the Glee Club. It always seems to be an eclectic crowd in there, all of whom are particularly cordial, I’m sure radio 2 would be the preferred stereophonic station if polled and words like ‘twee’ and ‘quaint’ slip seamlessly into conversation. You get the picture. Delightful.
And thus it was — amongst a lampshade festooned stage — net curtains and all — that the theatrical A Camp took to the stage.
But first, the support which came in the guise of Leona Naess.
“I didn’t expect there to be anyone here to see us” announced Naess to a packed Glee Club. You can therefore excuse the somewhat haphazard start to proceedings as the former model struggled with her guitar and monitor levels. What quickly became apparent was that Naess — who resembles a young Cheryl Crow both vocally and aesthetically — is a talent along similar lines of Norah Jones with a powerful vocal and great range. She also had the ability to sing with her pick in her mouth which is kinda cute. Definitely one to watch out for.
Next up Swede Kristopher Astrom. His act is novel in so much as he’s a solo artist who pays electric guitar layered with a multitude of effects — from reverb through to flange. Does it work? In a manner as his act is certainly unique, but you feel that for him to flourish he’ll need to add some musical colleagues to his outfit as the novelty factor diminishes fairly quickly.
On to the main event and Nina Persson of ex Cardigans fame literally flounced onto the stage accompanied by her musical side kicks under current incantation ‘A Camp’.
The talented vocalist — again of Swedish descent — treated the expectant crowd to the best of her back catalogue, from her self titled ‘A Camp’ album and her most recent release ‘Colonia’. The crowd were treated to an eclectic mix of music for the talented vocalist, from Western swing through to indie electro pop all of which was seamlessly delivered by the diminutive songstress. From her stand out track ‘I can buy you’ which incidentally deserved to get much higher than its derisory number 44 in the charts on its 2001 launch, through to ‘Angel of Sadness’, all of her songs were delivered with Camps unique, rasping, and many would say beautiful voice. Fans were also treated to a very different cover version of Grace Jones’ I’ve done it again’, bird tweets and all.
If you’ve not been to the Glee Club then you really should make the effort. The intimate venue provides the ideal backdrop for both stars in the twilight of their career and starlets of tomorrow.
Words by Zak Edwards
Photos by Bianca Barrett
