Here is the review.....
SundayTimes
Goldfrapp at Somerset House, WC2


Lisa Verrico

Published at 2:08PM, July 21 2013





Feet shuffled, arms were raised and choruses were chanted back as lasers swept the courtyard and a keytar player came on

A dozen years on from Felt Mountain, their Mercury Music Prize-nominated debut album, and eight years since they scored their signature hit with the slinky disco stomper Ooh La La, Goldfrapp are in danger of dropping off the pop radar. Their last album, Head First, may have spawned a Top Ten single in Rocketand earned the British duo their second Grammy Award nomination, but its sleek synth-pop failed to replicate the success of 2005’s platinum-selling album Supernature.

For their sixth full-length outing, Tales of Us, due out in September, Goldfrapp have returned to the eerie, strings-drenched, slo-mo folk of Felt Mountain. At a far-from full Somerset House, the band – a duo in the studio, but swelled to five on stage – stuffed the opening half hour with cinematic new songs that mixed John Barry-era Bond theme theatricality with spooky, storytelling lyrics and subtle beats.

It was a pity that the weather had taken a turn for the windy. Had it still been steamy, the soaring Strangerand majestic, crescendo-strewn Claymight have crept under the skin of the crowd. Instead, fans failed to notice that the black-clad, blonde-haired frontwoman Alison Goldfrapp had never sounded better and took to chatting.

It was only when the band revisited their old hits – Number 1, Ride a White Horseand the T-Rex-inspired Ooh La La in particular, all from Supernature — did the gig really get going. Feet shuffled, arms were raised and choruses were chanted back as lasers swept the courtyard and a musician playing a keytar came on stage. When the show closed with Caravan Girl and Goldfrapp striding across the stage like a crazed courtier, her caped top billowing behind her, the crowd screamed for more.

They got their wish with an encore that began with the sensual, soon-to-be single Drewand closed with the throbbing techno of Strict Machine, but the feeling that Goldfrapp’s heyday was behind them hadn’t been banished.

That reporter is going to eat those last words of the review once Tales Of Us is released...

Sartori, you didn't embarrass yourself at all after the gig, apart from mooning the bar staff who were trying to move us on. Don't forget you haven't used your Amsterdam voucher yet!

Eh i get where that reviewer is coming from actually, sorry. From reading peoples opinions here it sounds like the crowd were what i call an "Ooh La La crowd", only really truly interested in the stompers and no interest in the slower ones, i think thats what the reviewer is pointing out anyway.

rewak said:

Eh i get where that reviewer is coming from actually, sorry. From reading peoples opinions here it sounds like the crowd were what i call an "Ooh La La crowd", only really truly interested in the stompers and no interest in the slower ones, i think thats what the reviewer is pointing out anyway.

The reporter should do a better job then.
It reads like she's blaming Goldfrapp for not being able to please the "Ooh La La Crowd" while imho she/he (not sure) should be complimenting Frapp for not doing that. Goldfrapp always have been an act beyond that. Never been the crowd-pleasers. Sure, they will attract these kind of punters at gigs like this one, but we all know that's not what they're about. The worst gig over here (audience-wise) I've attended was the Supernature one. They wanted to hear the dancy hits. Deer Stop was ruined by a chatty crowd. Alison added: "well, you clearily weren't waiting for that one...."
A shame really. Anyway: Not pleased with what the reporter is doing there, unless it's directed at the chavs looking for another ravey night out.... (we had one of those assholes sitting right next to us on the plane back to Amsterdam, horrible...)

alex_f said:

I dream of the day when Goldfrapp won't feel the need to play Ooh La La at every gig for the general public!

 

knowing my luck they won't play it every time i'll go see them.....

Well, this post is hardly a live update as it's 24 hours on but I'm basking in the glow of last night's stunning gig (and, indeed, what has been an incredible week). Alex has painted a picture of the evening so well and I agree heartily with many of the other comments.

Thankfully, the weather had improved and it was much cooler than Manchester. Just about perfect for an outdoor show. I dropped by the venue before heading for the pub to say hello to Alex. It was good to meet st185cs (Mark) there too and later on I spotted Anouk near the front of one of the queues - too far away to have a chat but it will happen one day.

I was first one in the pub and after a while was joined by Phil (Fenlander). Not long afterwards, everybody else seem to turn up at the same time and it was great too meet so many old friends and new. I'll never understand why it didn't click with me that the newcomer with the Liverpool accent and familiarity with everyone else was Softlad! But I can be slow on the uptake at times!

Small groups set off for the venue at different times so we weren't all together for the set. David & I found ping and tweety very close to the front on Angie's side of the stage with Laura, Jess, Sally, George & Phil not far behind. I had a perfect view of the stage and incredibly, the three people in front of me weren't taller, didn't have big hairstyles and didn't hold up phones all evening. All very quiet too.

I must admit that during the first two songs, I was worried that the sound wasn't going to be great, that I was too close to the PA. Then 'Stranger' started and oh my... it was heavenly. The first highly emotional moment. Not long afterwards came the second with a spine tingling rendition of 'You Never Know'.

The light show was fantastic. Not just the laser effects during 'Shiny & Warm', 'Ooh La La' etc but the clever use of the bank of rear lights. Combined with the dry ice, they often had the band beautifully silhouetted and it's an image I'll retain forever. As for the light show during the trippy bit of 'Little Bird'...it simply took the breath away and made me forgive the fact that Alison's vocals don't kick in at all at the end.

'Black Cherry' during the encore. Perfect. I like to think that we influenced that. Shortly before they took the stage, all the set lists taped to the floor were removed, taken away and returned (amended I assume). 'Drew' sounded great even without the full string section backing we saw in Manchester.

Yes, I think Alison fluffed her lines during 'Train' but it hardly mattered. We were getting carried away with the pounding bass and synths. 'Strict Machine' and the tape shower rounded things off perfectly.

Luckily, quite a few people made it back to the pub for drink before we all had to say our goodbyes. Hopefully it wont be long before we're greeting each other again.

Finally, I should say that Sartori wasn't so tired & emotional that he didn't grasp in the end where he had to go. Glad you made it in one piece, Rob :)