Agnes Obel

Agnes Obel’s debut record rich with obscure cerebral tales to excite the curious mind, first tiptoed over the airwaves in 2010. All of the songs are self-penned, self-produced and recorded in Berlin, Danish-born Agnes’ adopted hometown. The interwoven, haunting stories, reminiscent of the mysterious and macabre folklore spun by Angela Carter and the Brothers Grimm, are accompanied by the delicious sound of piano, violin and cello, a veritable heady mix of music for the mind, body and soul. The journey offered through this intoxicating wood invites you to veer off the beaten track to explore the powdered, crisp ground beyond, which is where, ((hush) if you dare), you will observe magic, mysterious, emotion laden songs falling from a sun dappled September sky tempting you to reach out to catch. Until the release of her 2013 follow-up record, Aventine, Agnes was THE best-kept secret, hidden intentionally amongst the flora and fauna of small European venues before the inevitable larger outfits greedily clamoured and, bringing with them, a greater distance between artist and audience. However, Agnes’ simple, pure and unassuming approach will surely keep the corporate beast at arm’s length, as this is where the beauty of her live music set lies; the emotive, lush, vibrating sound of a sumptuous voice caressing sublime lyrics along with instruments, which work best in spaces built to give the optimum acoustically, not typically nurtured by the back breaking caverns found on the contemporary world tour.
A rapidly expanding European tour has gained momentum, transporting Agnes back and forwards across the globe, with the north Americas and Australia desperately craving their aural fill. This is no wonder as an Agnes Obel concert is as charming, easy, beautiful and intelligent as she herself is; you sit and sway, beautifully crafted song after song warming and welcoming you, yet always leaving you wanting more. Having been lucky to see her live on a few occasions, it is notable that she has grown in confidence in her interactions with the audience. This is pleasing as her dry musings raise a smile or communicate something precious from the closely watched heart of hers about the song to be performed. For example, Agnes shared with her Barbican audience in April 2014 that Run Cried the Crawling’s inspiration is a story her late father used to tell her as a child; it was a poignant personal grain laid bare before us, rendering her questioning whether she could carry the song having evoked the memory of a dear loved one lost and the audience feeling even more protective towards her. Live performance affords experiment and clever tinkering with songs in the way that adds fuel to a brightly burning fire, giving the hungry crowd a raw and satisfying feast on which to dine as opposed to a note perfect impression of her records. A delight for one’s senses, leaving a unique almost spiritual glow only experienced on rare occasions from a live concert. Whichever path Agnes chooses next, one thing is for sure; her words are never dead, they are alive, and leave an ingrained melodic memory never to be erased.

To begin with, the concert took place in awesome Paradiso in Amsterdam, a place so legendary that you are immediately in a different state of mind and energy as you step in. So we had a gorgeous location and atmosphere. We were thrilled since the first moments we had together that evening, at her entrance on stage, when she greeted us with such a kind and joyful smile that you were quickly swept away - convinced that what's coming is special. And it was, she carried us softly and chillingly through the new stories she sings these days, blended with the older and more familiar ones. The mix was perfect from my point of view, and I liked very much the (new) focus on cellos - including for her older songs. It was my first Agnes Obel concert, so I don't know if that happens usually when she plays live. The ladies in her band are awesome! They have beautiful voices and are very talented, really nice to see how the group works together to get every song to a higher level than what you had in your mind from the recordings. I was very happy that she also did what we were all 'crying' for (I imagine) - she played The Curse and ended with Riverside. We had a very special evening, I was very excited to be there and the audience was great. I highly recommend going to one of her concerts, even if you are just curious about the experience and not a die-hard fan. Oh, there was even a funny moment when something went wrong with the sound - as in we had a squealing sound out of the blue. Her reaction was priceless - very sweet, relaxed and natural. Thank you!

Simple melodies are what Agnes Obel herself has stated that she is attracted to. I find that lovely. Sometimes with today's music there really is just too much going on. The human ear and the sense of hearing is delicate. It can easily become overloaded. And over time, music lovers have shown that simple is good, that less can be more.

Agnes Obel takes us back to a place of peace and serenity: the tones are pure as the driven snow. The harmonies, the keys pressed and placed, they all have a distinct purpose. Not everyone will appreciate this, sadly.

It is soft, gentle yet is able to reach around and embrace your most vital organ, your heart. Agnes Obel is in a class all her own. Her performances are memorable, really unforgettable: they generate and evoke a reaction. Nope- you won't really find a rowdy audience erupting in thunderous applause of shoutouts, but you can tell through their reactions how much they are pleased by Agnes and her contributions to performing arts. A wonderful, intimate experience.

An excellent show from start to finish. Full of ethereal tones and haunting melodies each member of the band accompanying Obel were on point, mixing their low and high voices with Obel's and braving difficult combinations of sound with percussionist ever keeping the beat and rhythm on going. Both cellists (who also served as piano and percussion) were particularly spectacular in my opinion as they worked both in sync but also went off on solo expeditions within a given piece. The strong lead vocals from Obel and her witty conversations between songs encouraged the crowd on as the lights changed from song to song, adding to the other ambiance to create a perfect environment to enjoy great music.

I love Agnes Obel. Her music en voice are beautiful, mezmerizing, hanting.
In that respect the show was wonderful. She performed with two cellists and a drummer/oboe player.
All girls. Wonderful!

The lighting was another matter. It was very over the top, moving, blinking, rotating. It was distracting me from the music and voices. Sometimes the spots were directed at us, the audience. The light was blinding and really interfered with my enjoyment of the voices and music.

It almost seemed as if she's afraid that the audience will be bored by a calm show in which the voices and music literally take center stage.

Anges, we will not be bored! Please tone down the lighting. :-)

As expected, the performance of Agnes Obel was great. There were a few things that made it less pleasant than it should be. The artist before AO was truly terrible, very far below the quality of AO. The sound quality made it stressful for us and the temperature and humidity in the hall made it tropically damp, not my cup of tea.

For us, it's very strange that the quality level of everything on that evening was that extremely far below the standard that Agnes Obel deliveres. I'd love to sea her show again but never again in the "Forum de Liege".

A truly memorable show and delighted we could be there. She wandered on to the stage very quietly around 9pm with her three musicians and played an amazing repertoire of old and new. She seemed very modest on stage and spoke few words but the music was powerful. Highlight for me was Fuel to Fire and Philharmonics. She said this was the final night of her tour. During her encore her famous Riverside was a real treat. Would not miss her next show and thanks to Songkick for the clever alert this time around !

I loved every second of this performance ... I was fortunate to be standing 5m from the stage ... the power of the cellos ... the focused faces of the four ladies who really played as a happy team ... the updated arrangements were refreshing in subtle ways compared to the albums ... an excellent group of female musicians/singers ... Agnes was much more relax & talkative than during previous Belgian concerts ... extremely enjoyable ... and thanks for bringing Mark Berube along!

We didn't like the performance too much, AB is too big for her music. The CD is excellent and the show she gave a few years ago in Brussels Royal Circus was a reference (although she was having a cold!). No, Agnes, stay away from these big concert halls and leave at least two musicians home, you’re doing much better alone!

Agnes Obel delivered a memorable show filling the room with a melodious sound of piano and cellos enhanced by a spot on percussion and amazing singing (really good back vocals). Personally I thought the best moments were The Curse and On Powdered Ground.