Magnetic Fields and Thee Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra

Posted by jill on March 23, 2010

There was something about the last week of March and the abundance of live shows. There will be separate posts about the two shows at the end of the week, but the beginning of the week had a (relatively) gentle start.

Magnetic Fields played for two hours at the Barbican. For someone who hasn’t really got round to listening to their material, the live show was a great introduction to the band. Before the show, I was slightly worried whether two hours of twee would be too much, however it turned out it was a great way to explore the band’s music. There was great banter in between songs, Amelia Fletcher came on to sing a song, there was nothing else you really need more for a gentle, indie, sensible night.

Whilst the Magnetic Fields played around 20 songs in their set, at the other extreme were Silver Mt Zion the next evening, who played 6 in an hour and a half in a venue that really didn’t suit their sound. An ideal Silver Mt Zion would be one where their music surrounds the audience. In the Electric Ballroom however, the sound was a bit dead, and it certainly wasn’t helped by people at the side who spent the gig talking all the way through. It took a lot of concentration to keep on top of what the band was doing and to block out the distractions. However there were glimpses of how amazing the band would be in an ideal venue. Although there were times when the in between song banter went on just that little bit too long, it was a great contrast between the music and the entire show. Hopefully the next time they are back in London, Silver Mt Zion would play a more suitable venue.