Re: Patti – The Coral Sea – 22 June 2005

[Andrew F Wilson <andrewfwilson>]

The Coral Sea
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London

By Alexis Petridis
The Guardian, Friday, 24 June 2005

The foyer is thick with perplexed speculation. The audience know only
two facts. One: The Coral Sea is Patti Smith's prose elegy for her
late friend and collaborator Robert Mapplethorpe. Two: her choice of
accompanists for its live debut is bananas. Singer-songwriter Chan
"Cat Power" Marshall could be America's most erratic performer, so
crippled by nerves that shows have ended with her lying face down on
the stage. Kevin Shields, meanwhile, is the reclusive former leader of
My Bloody Valentine, famed for their records' staggering sonic
innovations and their live shows' ear-rupturing volume.

There is the distinct prospect that the evening may leave the audience
feeling like some of the subjects Mapplethorpe photographed for his
infamous Portfolio X, most notably the guy with his penis in a
mousetrap. Marshall appears hunched first over a guitar, then a piano.
She has a nervous tic - kicking her foot back and forth in a manner
that recalls a cat in a litter tray -but, by her standards, it's a
highly disciplined performance. Her delicate songs all seem to end
when they are supposed to. Smith has to physically steer her on stage
for an encore, but Marshall stays put and plays a spectral,
captivating ballad.

Smith returns for the second half, intoning The Coral Sea's
spellbinding prose, her voice occasionally breaking into song.
Lounging on a sofa, Shields distractedly strums a series of guitars.
The effect is magical, in that what he does with his hands frequently
bears no relation to what comes out of his amplifier. At times, his
guitar drones woozily, matching the onstage films of sea images. At
others, it sounds like a church organ. At the piece's climax, he prods
an effect pedal and something approximating a protracted thunderstorm
consumes the venue.

For an encore, the three perform a brief song together, Marshall
inclining her head away from the audience. They erupt into a deserved
standing ovation, as the world's most unlikely supergroup slink off
stage.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/reviews/story/0,,1513252,00.html