Bat For Lashes Live Review

Natasha Khan unleashes her ethereal folk-fantasy sounds as the heavens open on Somerset House...

16:22, Monday, 20 July 2009

Dressed as T Rex meets Chewbacca in a shiny black bodysuit with hairy fringed arms, style icon Natasha Khan (the woman behind Bat for Lashes) tells the audience “I’m glad you’ve taken down your umbrellas, now I can see all your beautiful faces”.

More importantly, now we can see hers.

For as much as her voice moved effortlessly and magically through the torrential downpour, she’s a woman you want to see. That’s because watching Khan is a visual and sensual experience. She makes the tambourine, harpsichord and auto-harp sexy.

And I think we all fell in love with her a little bit.

Unfortunately for the band, the weather did dampen spirits a little. The late 20s–30s London crowd bought £2 rainmacs and upped umbrellas and hoods, but with ill-prepared soggy feet and bare arms, only the more hardened festival goers stayed for the full performance – watching as the band took us on a trip through Khan’s vivid imagination.

Lyrics about emerald cities, sirens and singing moons were made all the more epic by the dramatic backdrop of water slashing down in front of a lit-up Somerset House.

Fans were treated to stories from both the Mercury Music Prize-nominated debut Fur and Gold and bewitching follow-up Two Suns. Opening with Glass, the night ended with a soaring version of Daniel - the single about Khan’s crush on the Karate Kid.

It felt like she might somehow, by magic, make him appear – like she could wizard him up and anything was possible.

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