Anohni: Hopelessness Live at Park Avenue Armoury - - Mixmag

Anohni: Hopelessness Live at Park Avenue Armoury

Hard-hitting yet completely dazzling, New York came to a stand still

  • Funster
  • 20 May 2016
Anohni: Hopelessness Live at Park Avenue Armoury

Just one glance through the list of albums that have been released already this year is enough to give any music fan goosebumps. James Blake, Radiohead, Skepta and Kaytranada have all delivered super strong long players but none have hit quite as hard as Anohni's debut solo offering.

Formerly of Antony and The Johnsons, 'Hopelessness' by Anohni takes a powerful, uncompromising look at the skewed politics of today and does so with a prowess and unflinching attitude that's as scary as it is refreshing.

The debut of her brand new live show took place at the Park Avenue Armoury as part of Red Bull Music Academy's New York Festival over two nights and the sheer velocity of the performance was overwhelming.

The space itself, grand and dwarfing, was filled with unsettling drone music that panned in and out of focus as it began to fill up. When the lights went down, no musicians took to the stage but rather the presence of Naomi Campbell on a large screen wearing black almost demonic lingerie.

The projection showed her dancing and gyrating in a derelict underground space with the backing of more ominous walls of noise.

It lasted for around 20 minutes and although at moments it seemed like an overly-long intro, it commanded attention from everyone in the sold-out room. It was uncomfortable and confusing but it became apparent that that's exactly how you were supposed to feel and reflects the world that Anohni's paints in her album. It felt as much like an art installation as it did a concert.

Once the performance began, Oneohtrix Point Never and Christopher Elms stood either side of the stage, the screen switched to a video of a bloody faced woman with smeered white make up. An uncomfortable sight and as she started mouthing the opening lines of 'Hopelessness', Anohni began to sing off-stage.

She made her way to centre stage for '4 Degrees' and this is where the main crux of the show was revealed. Her voice sounding more rounded and incredible than ever and in a space so big, the sound was nothing short of remarkable. Different faces corresponded with every song. All races, genders and ages were present and the nature of the songs were reflected in the stark expressions.

'I Don't Love You Anymore' and 'Why Did You Seperate Me From The Earth' were delivered with teary eyes projected and 'Crisis' was as unnerving as the lyrics themselves.

As a show it's based on parallels. The intricate and detailed characters on screen are contrasted by Anohni's masked face and long cloak. Despite not having an identity or image herself, she couldn't have come across anymore singular or unique. The subject matter is heavy-hitting and scathing whereas the production glistens and sparkles with almost every beat.

It's a visually stunning show and one that's hard to take your complete focus from. Although essentially no questions about the world's current state of affairs are answers, it doesn't shy away from the themes that need to be tackled the most and it's delves in head-on.

It's a must-see show this year and one that will resonate long after you immerse yourself in her vision.

For more information on Red Bull Music Academy, click here

Funster is Mixmag's Digital Music Editor, follow him on Twitter here

Newsletter 2

Mixmag will use the information you provide to send you the Mixmag newsletter using Mailchimp as our marketing platform. You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us. By clicking sign me up you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

Loading...
Loading...
Newsletter 2

Mixmag will use the information you provide to send you the Mixmag newsletter using Mailchimp as our marketing platform. You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us. By clicking sign me up you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.