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| Bon Iver. Pic: rockzoom_de |
Bon Iver @ Wembley Arena, London, UK - 08/11/12
There's
only one Justin. And no, I don't mean the young boy who created an
unwanted fever, or the one out of N'Sync who's post group era I did
actually quite enjoy...or even the one who brought back the A-Team. I
am of course talking about Justin Vernon, the inspirational lead of
the most mesmerising group of the past few years, Bon Iver.
With
immense help from his eight companions on stage, Vernon managed to
captivate a sold-out Wembley Arena full of young bearded men who
enjoyed the one night where they didn't have to convince people
they're not growing it for Movember, but they are just naturally
gifted at pulling off facial hair that unfortunately makes myself
look quite threatening...
The
heart-wrenching intro to Perth sent goosebumps racing to set the
tone for what would undoubtedly become an unforgettable evening.
Thunderous
lights, parallel to the explosive closing to the opening song,
crashed down on the darkly lit stage.
The
shredded hanging curtains and rows of small blue standing lights
created a caved atmosphere to match their enclosed, earthy sounds.
Following
the album set-up, the spectacular Minnesota brought us some
intricately simple acoustic guitar playing with haunting falsetto
harmonies while Vernon lullabies 'never gonna' break'.
The
Grammy nominated Holocene was delivered to perfection. Every harmony
and repeated brush of a snare left you hopelessly falling for all
nine geniuses on stage.
Wash. provided the most simple, yet effective, Bon Iver opening. The two repeated chords formed the base, while the majestic strings and vocals alongside the train-like percussion allowed you to drop into your own magical world of unconditional bliss.
The
compelling harmonic intro to Towers began the most impressively
composed song by Bon Iver as the acapella vocals towards the end
contrasted wonderfully with the complex climax.
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| Bon Iver. Pic: rockzoom_de |
Vernon
instantly befriended the audience once he stepped onto the stage and
his awkward yet incredibly comfortable conversing only kept our eyes
and ears glued.
Intriguing
support act from Watford, The Staves, warmed up a chilled audience
who
waited graciously in
anticipation.
The
three sisters were clinical in their harmonies and created quite an
atmosphere using only their daunting voices, an acoustic guitar and a
ukelele.
The
group joined Vernon on stage while the remainder of Bon Iver took a
break to enjoy Re: Stacks performed as an impressive stripped
down version.
You
could have heard a pin drop in a fixated Wembley crowd. Groups of
heads turned unexpectedly when a phone's record sound was heard by
many...
The
Staves left to a gracious applause while the
mystical Flume amazed before Calgary linked into Beth/Rest for an
unfortunate out-of-place 80s synth-heavy end to an otherwise unforgettable set.
Thankfully,
to rid the worrying potential that we just experienced the poorest
song to close the set, it didn't end there. The encore went straight
into trademark song Skinny Love with thousands singing to 'my, my,
my...'. Who would have thought that this lyric could join so many
together to share an unlikely classic Wembley moment.
Vernon
then surprisingly called for audience participation to sing 'what
have I lost?' in a mind-blowing The Wolves (Act II and II). The
silences were as vital as the increased speed of the strumming and
the repeated harmonised vocals in a faultless rendition.
Although
final song For Emma was pleasant, the set probably went on one song
too many as Wolves would have been the perfect closer.
Nevertheless,
the band from Wisconsin have travelled far since their HMV
Hammersmith Apollo performance just one year ago.
The
soft folk rockers tackled the mighty arena with few flaws and can all keep their dignity intact after a heroic and memorable night.
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