The Barbican Monday 11th April

Little Scream opened the show for José González with The Göteborg String Theory. A fairly unknown artist; at first shy and inverted, and very much in front of a judging panel as I doubt many of us in the audience had come for her – but who, immediately, grabbed our attention with her vocals. Quivering and modest, and then living up to her stage name, her songs were quietly powerful and deeply stirring. As part of a solo live show which more than filled the Barbican hall, Little Scream performed with a stamping foot as a drum, a cocktail of pedals as a band and a high tech microphone as backing singers. With a few awkward jokes thrown in, and some humble comments about ‘playing a rough show’ and jetlag, and music that could cut to the heart of us, we had all fallen in love with her by the end of her short set.

Left reeling by Little Scream, no one was quite prepared for the spectacle to follow. González opened solo, with Hints – just him and his acoustic guitar, as we best knew him. Already we were being reminded of how deeply moving his music is in person. But then he was joined on stage by The Göteborg String Theory orchestra – who turned out to be the perfect catalyst. Led by a young conductor; who was dressed in sloppy chinos and torn white plimsoles and who boasted dance moves comparable to the most recent version of Thom Yorke; the orchestra struck up a tune which no one could resemble to any González song. However gradually (as the backdrop slowly lit to reveal an upside down Swedish forest landscape at dusk) the violins and cellos quietened to allow for González’s track, Far Away. They slowly began their contribution to the piece; starting with soft female backing vocals and a thumping bass drum, building to violins; wavering on two notes, off time and reaching a magnificent crescendo as more strings joined the tune at higher pitches and louder volumes. I could write about how The Göteborg String Theory enhanced every single song on the setlist, but the one that roused the most emotion in me was Crosses. Always a favourite track of mine, the staccato violins and faster tempo added newer heights to the climaxes and steepened the falls. The effect was overpowering. As they closed with Teardrop, I felt unsatisfied. Every single audience member gave a standing ovation – we were hungry for more. But the encore was to surpass all that had been done that evening. Starting with Down the Line – a number filled with pumping bass drum, sharp string accompaniments and feel-good trumpet riffs – the pace and mood of the evening was lifted to a new elevation. The conductor (who was a show in himself, really) conducted the audience into a synchronised clapping and stopped us with a single hand signal, flawlessly, in time for González to start vocals. Finally, the show was closed with the classic Heartbeats – a song which brought me close to tears with its sincerity and beauty, enhanced by the rising and gentle violin accompaniments.

The night was as magical as it was genius. After each song I could hear audible gasps and mutters as people struggled to come to terms with just how good this was. What The Göteborg String Theory did was add a new dimension to González’s one man music – it did what one guitar and one male voice could not. The violins took the crescendos soaring, softening the moments of truest sentiment and raising the climaxes, whilst the double basses took us diving to the most intricate depths of González’s compositions, and rocked us with their steady drones. José González quietly stunned us with his compositions and skill in delivering them; and the conductor, meanwhile, took us dancing.