Back in Poland trying to catch up with everything after my amazing time in UK & Scotland. First I will cover Cardiff gig (which I haven’t witnessed live) and I will try to write about the rest of the European tour as it goes along. In between I will write about the incredible gigs in Manchester, Leeds & Glasgow. So for now no inside info about my time yet, but I promise I will share my memories asap, as I have some incredible moments to cherish…
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| photo by Roisin O’Connor – Music Correspondent of Independent UK, shared via Twitter |
But let’s get back to business. 29th & 30th November were free-from-gigs days, however LP was busy recording interviews & live sessions. On Wednesday while still in London LP visited Music News HQ where she talked to Music News editor – Marco Gandolfi, for interview click here. On the next day she was at the music studio of Independent UK called Indy Music where she recorded stripped-down music session. This hasn’t been shared yet, so when that happens I will let you know.
On the next day (1st December), LP and her band travelled to Cardiff for their next gig that took place at Y Plas – brand new nightclub at Cardiff University Students’ Union. Today’s post is courtesy of Bekki & Debbie who created ‘We Are LP UK‘ Fanclub. I asked them to write their memories of that night. Let’s start with Bekki who wrote: “Y Plas in Cardiff is a student union venue with a capacity of 1000-1200 people, although inside, you wouldn’t think it could hold so many”.
“Debbie and I were standing to the right of the stage, on Brian’s side, and the barrier wrapped right around the sides of the stage. During the show, LP paid a visit or two to the fans that stood there. There is also a balcony space, and everywhere becomes very full very quickly. Fanclubs in attendance have been at the venue from the early hours, including France, Russia, Austria, and the UK, and we were glad to be inside out of the cold”.
“Albin Lee Meldeau, support act for the Lost in UK Tour, played acoustically accompanied by his bass player. Albin has this beautiful blues vocal, and I have thoroughly enjoyed his set throughout the tour, with the song ‘Lou Lou’ being my favourite. You can however feel the anticipation in the time between. The room is full, the show sold out, and everyone is ready to see LP live. For many, this is the first time they’ve seen her, and the excitement is evident”.
“It’s so lovely to see and speak to other people that are feeling what you feel about someone who in the music world is so unique and connected to her fans. The couple next to me had never seen her live before, and I couldn’t help look over and see their reactions during the show. It is impossible to be sad when watching LP, because she draws you in to her world and in to every song with her”.
“LP’s band open with a drone and eerie guitar work from John Notto, over which comes that familiar, haunting aria of Strange. By now I know the timing exactly and my heart is in my throat every night they start. Strange is my favourite song, the song that started it all, and I can’t breath for those few moments, because it reminds me of how I got here and how grateful I am. Tonight is no different”.
“LP appears, black jeans and military band jacket, stunning glossy signature Chelsea boots. Strange to me is our anthem, it draws everyone together. We are all there, she is singing about all of us, with her, we are all strange. Other People follows, and then Tightrope, where she dances and spins across the stage, red ribbon dangling from her back pocket”.
“There was a small error at the end of the song where she sang one chorus less than needed, but as we know LP is a professional who can recover without us even noticing, ad libbing more of those gorgeous high notes. I didn’t realise until she said “That’s what happens when you lose your ears” (the small ear pieces she wears to hear the music) that anything had even gone wrong, thinking the whole thing intentional”.
“Up Against Me, Death Valley, and You Want It All follow. You Want It All has been one of the prominent songs of the tour for me, and every performance has left me breathless. It is such an anthem, yet the verses are so sad, and it really tugs at my heart strings. For later dates, Muddy Waters was moved to the encore, however in Cardiff it was in the middle of the set”.
“The red stage lighting set a dark mood, and LP’s performance was passionate, and took us, hearts bleeding and blind in to Suspicion. The emotion felt so raw, at times she looked in pain and you could feel the heartbreak. LP writes breakup songs and love songs like no one else, no other songwriter I have encountered can make me feel what they went through to find those words”.
“The rest of the set brought Tokyo Sunrise, Levitator and No Witness, and then on to When We’re High – I really like the combination of No Witness and When We’re High, both high energy tracks that had everybody dancing and singing in Cardiff. When We’re High was another track that I really really enjoyed this tour (lets face it, there is none that I don’t like, I love every minute of every song!). That gypsy beat is contagious and gets under your skin!”.
“During Someday, the crowd got the treat of a visit from the stage, LP making her way across the barriers, stopping to give hugs, shake hands, take gifts and sign items. These moments are always beautiful to both witness and receive. Night Like This was played in Cardiff, but was absent from later concerts. The “last song” Lost on You got the biggest sing along of the night, whistles echoed around the room from the stage and from the crowd”.
“The whole night had felt very intimate due to the size of the venue and the height of the stage, reminiscent of July’s concert at Under the Bridge in London. Possibly because Dublin, Birmingham and London had been larger venues, it all felt a lot closer that night (maybe a little too close for the guy resting his hands on my head to take photos…)”.
“The encore was Switchblade – both haunting and heart breaking – and then Into The Wild to end the night, as always, leaving us wanting more. After the show we went around the back of the venue and LP came out for a few minutes, signing autographs and taking pictures with fans. I tried to give back the pen I had been left with in Birmingham, but she said I could keep it (although it later got back to her in Glasgow!) She was as always, generous with her time and patient with fans, despite the cold night. After checking everyone had what they wanted, she said goodnight, escaping the cold streets of Cardiff and heading for the next destination”.
“Later in a pub, we spoke to two couples who had been to the concert, and it was wonderful to hear them talk about LP and how amazing she was. One guy had the set list, and he was overjoyed when we uploaded it to Instagram and LP liked it a few minutes later. It was a nice way to end the night, strangers brought together having shared in something special at the Y Plas”.
And now time for Debbie: “Cardiff was the 4th concert on the lost in the uk tour. I’d never been to Cardiff so was excited to not only see LP but to see Cardiff too. We walked from our accommodation to the venue via Cardiff Xmas market and started to queue with other LP fans who were becoming good friends including @lp.russia.official, @magali_1976 and @lp_austria. The closer it got to 7pm and doors opening the more you could feel the excitement growing”.
“We were lucky to get to the front and waited in anticipation. @albinleemeldau came on first at 8pm and give a fabulous performance as he had done on the previous 3 gigs. A packed house waited for 9pm to come around. Brian, Elias and John came on stage, the music started and the crowd cheered. LP came on stage singing Strange. What a song to start with. Her voice amazing and spellbinding. She puts her heart and soul into every song she sings. The crowd were loud and sang along to every song which I think LP appreciated”.
“No sooner had she started that the gig was ending. It’s like being in a dreamworld for an hour and half. We decided to wait outside in the hope of meeting LP. She is such a lovely caring person. Making sure everyone had pics and autographs. Not many people would take time out of their busy schedule to spend time with their fans, but she always does. So onto the tour bus and off to Manchester to mesmerise the fans all over again”.
Thank you girls for writing so beautifully and sharing your memories with me! LP and her music made us and our lives so much richer…. And although we are all strange, we will never be the same because of the impact LP has made on us….Also huge thanks to Bekki for her incredible images that accompany this post.
