Soko at the Union Chapel

If any of you have seen the recent contentious article from The New York Times talking about how depraved and culturally rigid London has become. Thankfully, Soko, whose origins lie in France, but spends most of her time in California, doesn’t hold such views about our fair capital. You can see from the very first minute of her show that playing here, at the Union Chapel in Islington, was a special moment. After interviewing her following the gig she indicated that the venue was “absolutely perfect, like everything you could ever hope for” and one can understand why; her dream-like bedroom pop is perfectly sited to the intimate, beautiful setting.

It was obvious from when she walked on, Soko was extremely nervous. The technical problems which plagued the beginning of the set only added to any anxiety. I couldn’t really connect with the opening barrage of songs as they stuttered into life. I had been warned by a friend that quality control was something that Soko was not famed for, and I have to say that I definitely agree. However, her beautiful and haunting lyrics began to draw me in. Lines such as “real love is looking at someone sleeping for longer than you can sleep for” as well as the melancholic crys of “I am still looking for my father, so I cannot have a lover now”. Her fragile voice only added to the depth and one could almost reach out and touch the troubles which she was singing about.

The highlight of the night was the title track of her debut I Thought I Was An Alien. The ever rotating backing band excelled on this song to bring the chapel to a quasi-religious level of worship. It occurred to me that this packed crowd sat in almost total reverence to the waif-like vision that was Soko. They were totally in awe, remaining silent, only to erupt in rapturous applause after each song.

The song which first made me aware of Soko was ‘First Love Never Die’ which is totally awesome and I would recommend it to all of you. She explained that creating all forms of her art was like playtime for a child, and that this is best represented by the video for this song, co-directed by her friend Spike Jonze. By the end of the show, Soko was visibly crying. It was easy to see that this gig meant everything to her.

However, something I couldn’t get to grips with was the lack of setlist which meant that any momentum built up was easily lost. It took six years to make her debut, creating a base of 100 songs, but it was easy to feel that a bit more focus would have helped. And yet, this is where Soko’s charm lies; the striking elven figure who has fleeting moments of beauty interspersed with times of utter madness. At times I felt quite uncomfortable having a singer speak words so painfully honest. She told to me that every other singer who does not perform with such sincerity and fragility are “liars and frauds”.

When leaving the venue I felt a certain sadness that whatever show I went to next, the intensity would not compare with what I had just experienced. Soko totally excelled in the softer moments but I was left thinking if only the set was honed, it would have been a perfect night.