We all know Goldfrapp, right? Well loved, funky disco-divas with trip-hop past, creating some of the most fantastic pop this side of the Atlantic. Surely it would be quite difficult for the Goldfrapp gang to perform a gig that would shudder to a stop before it gets going? Not really. Dreary opener ‘Felt Mountain’ really does nothing for the fan-packed crowd. When followed by the substandard ‘You Never Know’ the best Goldfrapp get is a muted crowd response, which really doesn’t get much better when Alison attempts to communicate with her audience. It would seem that though Alison Goldfrapp really can sing (no question about it), she just can’t talk.

Because of the subdued start, the gig really never sets off. The biggest audience response is reserved for late arrivals ‘Train’ and ‘Tip Toe’, but are the immediately followed up by inferior filler tracks from their latest album Supernature. The best moments occur when new life is injected into old songs; the haunting ‘Lovely Head’ is sung with such gall that it takes on a personality of its own.

By the time the singles such as ‘Ride a White Horse’, ‘Ooh La La’ and ‘Strict Machine’ appear it is too late. The singles are fantastic, classy disco tunes and nothing compared to the stuff that you listen to at home. However, you can’t help thinking that a substantial chunk of the crowd has buggered off; bored to tears with the drivel that was initially trundled out.

So there we have it, possibly the first time Goldfrapp have cocked-up in a live setting. They really should know better.

(2/5)

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