Ida Maria - London Old Blue Last
Artist profile:
Ida Maria
Date: 20/09/07
Rating: ****
Ida Maria has been touring the world with her band for the best part of two years, making a name for herself the hard way by putting her heart and soul into every gig she’s done. Just a quick skim read of her myspace blogs will show how much emotion she puts into her work. Next month however see’s the release of her first ever single, ‘Oh My God’ and tonight’s show is a part of a mini slog through Europe to get word out.
As a result the first floor bar area of north London’s The Old Blue Last’s is heaving with anticipation. There can’t be more than one hundred people here but the place is so small you can hardly move. It’s no mean feat when you consider most people are here on word of mouth recommendations and have never seen Ida before.
The band finally squeeze their way on stage with all eyes on the front woman dressed in her pretty blue dress and beaming smile. Once the music starts however the sweet, pleasant looking young lady gets serious. Ida’s confidant body language and her hypnotic gaze seem to come naturally as she ceases control of the room all at once.
What’s better is that the music matches the attitude. From the folk punk of ‘Louie’ about getting drunk and not having anywhere to stay, which gets the room moving with its frenetic, infectious beat to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs esque ‘Better When You’re Naked’. A fantastic piece of pop rock which uses the quiet/loud technique to great effect as verse builds to chorus. It’s also a song that presents the potential of Ida’s powerful vocal talent bearing much resemblance to the likes of Bjork on first listens.
It’s a voice that finally bears all on the churchyard blues of ‘We’re All Going To Hell’. Her voice carries the song during the hushed verses and into the roaring chorus which has the whole venue singing together with arms aloft. It’s a wonderful song which single handedly has the potential to make this band massive. It also shows that Ida can sing about subjects other then getting drunk and naked. The lyrical content is really quite thought provoking.
But Ida won’t be a one hit wonder; she has other songs which make the grade tonight. Try ‘Stella And God’ for size. About the big man himself getting bored of ruling the world so he hands it over to a backstreet hooker called Stella for a while. There’s a complex metaphor in there somewhere.
There’s also set closer and new single ‘Oh My God’ which bears no resemblance to the Kaiser Chief’s song of the same name. Instead it incorporates early Libertine’s energy with Arcade Fire’s choir esque substance. It includes everything that makes Ida Maria so exciting to listen to and should have no problem in becoming a sought after piece of music when it’s released next month. The opening refrain of “find a cure for my life” will get lodged in your mind as it simultaneously sends shivers down your spine.
If there’s anything wrong here it’s that Ida is not wholly original yet, but the music is delivered with enough passion and energy to cause more than a stir when it reaches a wider audience. Ida and her gang of merry men certainly match the current scene for raw talent and a full length release will no doubt reveal much more that we’ll like. In short Ida Maria is a remarkable talent, with bags of potential. If we could say anything at this stage it would be watch this space, very, very closely.
Sam Tolley
Ida Maria Myspace
Buy Ida Maria CDs | Buy Ida Maria mp3s | Buy Ida Maria Tickets | Buy Ida Maria Merch
Date: 20/09/07
Rating: ****
Ida Maria has been touring the world with her band for the best part of two years, making a name for herself the hard way by putting her heart and soul into every gig she’s done. Just a quick skim read of her myspace blogs will show how much emotion she puts into her work. Next month however see’s the release of her first ever single, ‘Oh My God’ and tonight’s show is a part of a mini slog through Europe to get word out.
As a result the first floor bar area of north London’s The Old Blue Last’s is heaving with anticipation. There can’t be more than one hundred people here but the place is so small you can hardly move. It’s no mean feat when you consider most people are here on word of mouth recommendations and have never seen Ida before.
The band finally squeeze their way on stage with all eyes on the front woman dressed in her pretty blue dress and beaming smile. Once the music starts however the sweet, pleasant looking young lady gets serious. Ida’s confidant body language and her hypnotic gaze seem to come naturally as she ceases control of the room all at once.
What’s better is that the music matches the attitude. From the folk punk of ‘Louie’ about getting drunk and not having anywhere to stay, which gets the room moving with its frenetic, infectious beat to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs esque ‘Better When You’re Naked’. A fantastic piece of pop rock which uses the quiet/loud technique to great effect as verse builds to chorus. It’s also a song that presents the potential of Ida’s powerful vocal talent bearing much resemblance to the likes of Bjork on first listens.
It’s a voice that finally bears all on the churchyard blues of ‘We’re All Going To Hell’. Her voice carries the song during the hushed verses and into the roaring chorus which has the whole venue singing together with arms aloft. It’s a wonderful song which single handedly has the potential to make this band massive. It also shows that Ida can sing about subjects other then getting drunk and naked. The lyrical content is really quite thought provoking.
But Ida won’t be a one hit wonder; she has other songs which make the grade tonight. Try ‘Stella And God’ for size. About the big man himself getting bored of ruling the world so he hands it over to a backstreet hooker called Stella for a while. There’s a complex metaphor in there somewhere.
There’s also set closer and new single ‘Oh My God’ which bears no resemblance to the Kaiser Chief’s song of the same name. Instead it incorporates early Libertine’s energy with Arcade Fire’s choir esque substance. It includes everything that makes Ida Maria so exciting to listen to and should have no problem in becoming a sought after piece of music when it’s released next month. The opening refrain of “find a cure for my life” will get lodged in your mind as it simultaneously sends shivers down your spine.
If there’s anything wrong here it’s that Ida is not wholly original yet, but the music is delivered with enough passion and energy to cause more than a stir when it reaches a wider audience. Ida and her gang of merry men certainly match the current scene for raw talent and a full length release will no doubt reveal much more that we’ll like. In short Ida Maria is a remarkable talent, with bags of potential. If we could say anything at this stage it would be watch this space, very, very closely.
Sam Tolley
Ida Maria Myspace
Buy Ida Maria CDs | Buy Ida Maria mp3s | Buy Ida Maria Tickets | Buy Ida Maria Merch
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