The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema & Tv
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
      • Shows
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureMusicLive music

Ólöf Arnalds at Ace Hotel, Shoreditch

Ólöf Arnalds at Ace Hotel, Shoreditch | Live review
27 April 2014
Keir Smith
Avatar
Keir Smith
27 April 2014

When presented with a quirky, avant-garde female indie musician, it is almost impossible not to draw comparisons with the usual batch of artists that includes Bjork and Kate Bush. Ólöf Arnalds could easily be placed in the same category, especially as she has toured with Bjork – yet her talent is distinctively unique.

On arrival, the first noticeable issue has to be the venue choice; after walking through numerous back room corridors and staircases, we emerge in a packed-out, elegant room with a bar, but no stage. Stood at the front before a glare of eyes, Arnalds tunes her guitar, steadying herself for the set. Slightly sheepish and shy, but in good humour, she jokingly apologises for not tuning it backstage.

When the music does start, the sound quality is pristine as it reverberates around the intimate room, washing over the audience without ever becoming too shrill or intense. Arnalds’ voice quality is retained in the live setting and sounds just as soothingly sweet and melancholic as on record. She timidly introduces her songs and offers an explanation of the more personal ones; a sing-along is even hinted at as she attempts to break the ice and stir up a bit of a reaction from the frozen crowd.

While Arnalds’ voice easily triumphs in the live arena and holds onto its stripped-back beauty, there is a slight hesitancy that stems from her lack of confidence singing in English. As you would expect, she seems far more at ease singing in her native tongue. Despite the quiet atmosphere, there is a collective sense of admiration and awe as Arnalds holds the crowd’s attention throughout her minimalist and melancholic set.

Keir Smith
Photos: Marine Candel

For further information and future events visit Ólöf Arnalds’s website here.

Watch the video for Innundir Skinni here:

Related Itemsconcertlive musicolof arnaldsreview

More in Live music

Birdy at Wilton’s Music Hall Online

★★★★★
Mark Worgan
Read More

Bat for Lashes Online

★★★★★
Jessica Wall
Read More

Barker-Turner Overdrive: An Evening of Duets at the Tunbridge Wells Forum Online

★★★★★
Catherine Sedgwick
Read More

Ben Howard: Global Transmission from Goonhilly Earth Station live stream

★★★★★
Sylvia Unerman
Read More

The Sherlocks at Sheffield City Hall Online

★★★★★
Francis Nash
Read More

The Snuts at Stirling Castle Online

★★★★★
Jessica Wall
Read More

Valley Maker – When the Day Leaves Livestream

★★★★★
Jasper Watkins
Read More

London Contemporary Orchestra at Southbank Centre

★★★★★
Sylvia Unerman
Read More

Giles Terera: Black Matter at Crazy Coqs

★★★★★
Bev Lung
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • London’s best pizzas for takeaway and delivery
    Food & Drinks
  • The Year Earth Changed
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Cruise – Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Steelers: The World’s First Gay and Inclusive Rugby Club
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Distance Remaining – Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Cruise – Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • A Splinter of Ice at Cheltenham Everyman Theatre Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Birdy at Wilton’s Music Hall Online
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • For the Sake of Vicious
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Mare of Easttown
    ★★★★★
    sky
  • Cruise – Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Birdy at Wilton’s Music Hall Online
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Mare of Easttown
    ★★★★★
    sky
  • Me You Madness
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • SYML – Dim | EP review
    ★★★★★
    Album review
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Jamaica Patty Co in Clapham | Restaurant review
The Believers at the Tricycle | Theatre review