Sonic Pompadour

Laura Marling @ Alhambra

My first face-to-face encounter with Laura Marling could have been so perfect. It could have been so cool, so… Paris. I was, after all, in a cafe sipping Sauvignon Blanc when I spot Laura and her band turning onto rue Beaurepaire after her show at L’Alhambra. This instant, my last redeeming moment as a normal, composed person would have been a good time to remember that Laura Marling is still under the illusion that I am cool. Just moments ago, I was part of her audience, and in her terse onstage banter, she admitted her admiration for Parisians because they sat in cafes drinking coffee, looking effortlessly cool. And even after an enthusiastic Frenchie threw in his suggestion, “Live in Paris!”, Laura insisted, “I can’t. I’m not cool enough.”

Oh no Laura, you are cool. You are very, very cool (and I am not, but we’ll get to that later). As far as I’m concerned, you can’t get much cooler than a 22-year-old singer-songwriter-guitarist (with three albums already under her belt) whose knack for soaring melodies and self-possessed lyrics leave you often gobsmacked. I’m a sucker for good writing, whether it’s in the form of short stories, poetry, fiction or music, and Laura’s songs actually happen to be a little bit of everything at the same time. Her beautifully crafted vignettes are often soaked in literary and theistic references, where her characters explore different perspectives on morality, relationships and life choices. Whether she is playing solo or accompanied by her musicians (last night she was accompanied by cello, double bass, keys, banjo and drums), the delivery is powerful and elegant. For someone who has spent years training her voice, it is inspiring to witness a performer achieve various layers of emotion without any fancy vocal tricks. From the ghostly whisper of a defeated lover to a steady conversational tone, she uses her voice to give the story what it requires.

Yeah she’s cool. So cool that when I had the opportunity to actually express my admiration to Laura Marling herself, I lost all composure and gumption. If we rewind to the moment where I was enjoying my last “cool” moment in a cafe post-concert, it all went downhill when my friend (who should be credited for all the concert photos in this post) caught the look on my face, shoved a camera in my hand and said “If you don’t go you’ll regret it”. I don’t usually do these kinds of things, but there I was, running after Laura Marling down rue Beaurepaire. The clanking of my heels was so clumsy and loud that Laura turned around before I caught up with her and her drummer. She smiled a nervous smile (I would think I was a freak too if I were her) and said “Hi”. And I say “Wow. This is weird. Hi Laura. Um. That was a really great show, thank you so much. Could I trouble you for an autograph?” She obliges, smiles again and asks where I am from. “New York City” “Oh cool” (yup, that’s the only cool thing about me at the moment). I fumble desperately for a pen for what seems like 300 minutes, and feel something at the bottom of my bag that is the same length of a pen but isn’t a pen and has a wrapper. It’s a tampon. (KEEP THE TAMPON IN THE BAG, FLORENCIA). At this point, even the drummer is fumbling for a pen in his satchel. If I were cool, I would have the pen handy, or better yet, I would have thought to have used the camera that was in my hand and ask for a photo with Laura.

Instead I have an autograph. Which is what you get when you lose your “cool”.

Setlist:

I Was Just a Card
The Muse
Salinas
Blackberry Stone
Ghosts
Alas I Cannot Swim
Needle and Damage Done (Neil Young Cover)
My Manic and I
Once is Enough to Break You
Goodbye England
Night After Night
Alpha Shallows
Sophia
Rambling Man
I Speak Because I Can

Catch Laura Marling on tour promoting her album A Creature I Don’t Know throughout Europe and the US. For more info, click here.