GOAT, Albert Hall Manchester 22nd October 2016 9/10

This expansive evening, spanning almost six hours, had been most intelligently programmed. Each of the four support acts represented a branch of psychedelic music the headliners had synthesised to form their own style. Fellow Swedes Josefin Ohrn + The Liberation were themselves explorers, drawing on eclectic influences, their most conventional element the prominence of the (female) lead singer. The wholly instrumental Liverpudlians Mugstar drew on more uncompromising krautrock influences, notable for the amazing drummer and hypnotic visuals of a mountain range flyover, projected on the screen. Next, Jane Weaver's roots were in folk, and she represented the pop psych. tradition. Yet, it was Leeds band Hookworms who really energised the crowd with their psych. punk: I could appreciate why, for some, they were the main draw of the evening. The banner on their keyboard 'no borders' clearly existed within the political context of Trump and Brexit, but could equally been an expression of the wide ranging artistic expression in this lineup.

We'd been taken on a journey not just of genre, but from the individualism of Josefin Ohrn towards the collective: Hookworms are known only by their initials, whilst GOAT famously performs anonymously. This is where their schtick differs from that of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros: GOAT's back story of growing up a small town in Sweden with a history of voodoo worship is a long way from the personality cult of Alex Ebert. A key part of the fusion of styles stems from world music: in their stagecraft as well as guitar work, they reminded me of the amazingly energetic Songhoy Blues. Like this band from Mali, they also relied heavily upon hypnoptic rhythms and frenzied dancing to whip up the audience into a frenzy. Whereas the purer psych. rock earlier in the evening had felt intellectual, and introverted, GOAT inspire outward expression of euphoria. Visually, whereas the others acts made use of computer generated images projected onto a large screen, the outfits of GOAT's two female leads created swirling, mesmerising shapes. There may be no talk between songs, but the leads never stop moving around the stage.

Having missed their set at Primavera Sound in June, my last experience of GOAT was in April 2014 at Slim's, San Francisco. This was a more intimate venue that Manchester's Albert Hall, and I missed the more immersive view of the lower stage of Slim's. This time, though, there was the chance to experience new music from their just released third album, Requiem. This brings a greater folk influence to their work, as evident in the pan pipes during Union of the Sun & Moon. Live, GOAT's material is expanded in an improvisatory manner, with extended drone rock instrumental sections, as on the closing encore Let It Bleed. More extrovert tracks from World Music, such as Run To Your Mama, or Talk to God, the opener from Commune, most excited the crowd. I draw hope from the omission of Goodbye from Requiem, which some have interpreted as signalling the end of this project. There is a greater need than ever for openness to other cultures and belief systems: it is cross fertilisation that rise to such joyous fusions as GOAT.

Set List
Words
*Union of Sun & Moon
*Try My Robe
*Goatfuzz
Disco Fever
*Trouble In The Streets
Gathering of A Tribes
The Sun The Moon
*I Sing In Silence
Goatslaves
Run To Your Mama
Talk To God
Goatman (1st encore)
Let It Bleed (2nd encore)
(*from Requiem)

Josefin Ohrn

Mugstar

Jane Weaver

Hookworms

Angel Olsen, Manchester Club Academy 14th October 2016 9.5/10

I haven't been moved to write much of late: a change in my financial circumstances has curtailed my live music opportunities, and the recent gigs I had managed to buy tickets for were disappointing or uninspiring. Yet, occasionally,  a respected, established musician suddenly propels themselves to an exalted level of live performance, and so I feel compelled to disseminate the news. This happened most memorably in early 2014 with St. Vincent: the release of a landmark album in her career coinciding with a tour featuring stagecraft of a new level of creativity. Angel Olsen has with My Woman produced an album which is one of the most exceptional of this year, paralleling St. Vincent's in 2014. Yet Angel is a far less theatrical performer than Annie Clark, not relying on an elaborately crafted pop persona. In fact, she's relatively static: this is not a show filled with dancing or direct interaction with the audience. Early in the set, much of the drama took place off stage, when her tour manager was forced to leap over the barrier and eject some disruptive members of the crowd; the performance continued unflappably.

A more pertinent comparison is with another of my favourite performers who also issued an exceptional album in 2014: Sharon van Etten. Angel has long been suggested for investigation by those who appreciate the Brooklyn artist's style, but tonight was the first time I realised that she deserved to be placed in such exalted company. Like Sharon, she has an exceptionally pure and powerful soprano voice. This 29 year old from Asheville, NC is also a master of the guitar, reinforced by a five piece band with members from all over America. The lavish backing, together with excellent sound and lighting is a statement of intent that her days of playing coffee shops are long past: she'll surely shortly be commanding far larger venues than this one in Manchester. She may have pronounced: 'Angel Olsen is tired this evening', but there was no lack of passion in her delivery; indeed the energy was electrifying. The drama, and her band's drive recalls PJ Harvey, another artist who's enjoying an exceptional year.

The passion burning in songs like Not Gonna Kill You stems from the relationship breakdown which underlines My Woman; it is this pain which has, not for the first time, found powerful expression in art. As she explained to The Guardian: "Music is a wonderful thing to do with your life... but it’s a f*cked-up thing to do to your psyche... This (album) is where I actually loved and lost and came through the crazy storm." Her non-musical relationship with the audience relies on her quirky sense of humour, which feels relatively detached: she's far from long-winded in her chatter. Yet, her inspired third album brings greater extroversion in songs like Shut Up Kiss Me, with chorus and hooks. The emotional  depth of the second half moves me most, with extended songs like Sister. The album's closer is the desolate Pops; however she concluded this gig with the title song, when she sings: "I dare you to understand what makes me a woman." It blends psychedelia with her existing folk-rock style, whilst her first encore Intern introduced synthesisers to her oeuvre. Don't miss the opportunity to experience Angel's mesmerising presence and ability to move you deeply yourself during her current tour; this was surely one of my gigs of the year.

Set List (*from My Woman)
*Never Be Mine
Hi-Five
*Shut up kiss me
Lights Out
*Heart Shaped Face
*Sister
*Those Were The Days
Drunk
Windows
Special
*Not gonna kill you
Sweet Dreams
Forgiven Forgotten
*Give it up
*Intern (1st encore)
*Woman (2nd encore)