REVIEW By Steve Cooke
Alison Goldfrapp triumphantly delivers at Manchester International Festival with the third ever gig at the new Factory International event space, Aviva Studios - its first part standing / part seating event.
We were witness to an engaging, spot-on performance from this trailblazing artist at which I was fortunate to be seated at the centre of the front row of the circle in a plush yellow seat, a perfect spot to fully appreciate the excellent lighting and sound that this exciting new venue offers.
AG made her entry in a stunning, sparkly bolero jacket with something of the disco ball in its effect. setting the tone of the night with her cool, commanding presence.
She sensuously sways and occasionally steps across the stage with her sparkling gloved hands giving dramatic emphasis to her songs - backed by the impressive pairing of Seb Sternberg pounding out the beats on the drums and Evelyn May adding electro-drama to SG’s songs, old and new with the excellent dancers adding a complementary element.
The set of inventive electro dance anthems underpinned by thudding baselines showcases songs from her new solo album The Love Invention. Although the setlist is dominated by the new tracks, kicked off with the breathy sass of Hotel (Suite 23), before album's title track, Goldfrapp's classics raise the crowd’s levels with such as Ride a White Horse and Rocket the finale to the main show.
The huge video screen that backdrops the stage brought up plenty of impressive arty images and on her return for the encore slightly bloodshot eyes dominated the hall.
New track Fever, a dance collaboration with Paul Woolford, was a jumping conclusion to an excellent set showing that her new material can whip up as much audience enthusiasm as the classics.
Full credits for the show: Drums/MD: Seb Sternberg @sebastiansternberg, Keys & B.Vs: Evelyn May @evelynmay, Styled by: Yana McKillop @yana_mckillop in Alexandra Vauthier @alexandrevauthier, Choreography: Harry Price @harrypriceprojects, Dancers: Moses Ward, Belen Leroux and Elisabeth Mulenga @moses.m.o.ward @belen_fab18 & @elisabeth.mulenga, Hair: Adam Garland @adamgarland__, M.U: Louise Hinton @globalmakeupdesignltd
Setlist: Hotel, Love Invention, Believer, Digging Deeper Now, So Hard So Hot, Number 1, Impossible, Anymore, Ride A White HorseSlo Flo, Beat Divine, Gatto Gelatto, Never Stop, Rocket——In Electric Blue, Strict Machine, Fever
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