AMANDA PALMER | LIVE REVIEW
St David’s Hall, Cardiff, Sat 19 Oct
Playing in a new city for the first time, after a career spanning nearly two decades, is a challenge. The seats aren’t always going to be filled with your top fans; sometimes people turn up because they’ve vaguely heard of you and fancy an evening out. Even more risky, then, when you’re touring a more experimental show, rather than just rattling off the hits.
Amanda Palmer’s There Will Be No Intermission tour is more than three hours long, with far more talking than playing. She reels off the darker stories in her life, from sexual assault, family deaths, press attacks, abortion and miscarriage. There’s also dark humour: having to watch Adam Sandler movies at an abortion clinic, describing the Repeal The 8th amendment in Ireland as “feminist Christmas”, and being mocked by prisoners for lamenting over the death of a squirrel. Following a roughly chronological order, the stories lead into songs as she moves around the stage, taking turns as TED-talk presenter, ukulele player and concert pianist.
Any formality is broken down from the first song: meandering through the audience with her ukulele, her voice impressively projects unamplified around the hall. “You rock, Amanda!” somebody shouts. “I rock?” she replies, making her way to the piano. “Not yet… you wait and see.” Others, less familiar with her flirtations between dark humour and genuine tragic anecdotes, continue to chuckle light-heartedly at inappropriate moments. Something switches later in the evening, however. Audience members stop calling out, Amanda is less conversational, the songs are slower in tempo, the laughter ceases.
It’s tempting to describe this tour as a masterpiece. Its epic length, vulnerability, and the beautiful way thematic threads are woven throughout, add up to an astonishingly bold show. However, despite the warning that those hoping to go home light-hearted and happy should change their expectations, it’s difficult not to get bogged down by so many gloomy tales and not enough songs. Amanda Palmer promises to return to Cardiff soon to “bang out” a host of new songs with Dresden Dolls drummer Brian Viglione. After this brilliant but morose show, her audience in south Wales won’t know what’s hit them.
words ISABEL THOMAS photos GARETH GRIFFITHS