Live Review

Tori Amos – Hammersmith Apollo, London

• 11th Sep 2009

Tori Amos had her first night in London for her “Sinful Attraction Tour” at the Hammersmith Apollo. As the seating does not make way for photographers down the front, Amos was kind enough to do a mini one song pre-show just for the press (in full garb and lighting). Who would be so generous? And it wasn’t a lazy performance either. Sat between two very different keyboards she stretched herself almost elastically all over the place in order to show off for the cameras.

This little performance only got better a couple of hours later when she came on stage for the public. As this is her promotion for her new album “Abnormally Attracted to Sin” is isn’t much of a wonder that the 46 year old is making all kinds of lewd gestures at the crowd, including grabbing just about any private part on her body she can get a free hand on. The crowd here it’s easy to tell having been following the singer for a while as even the slightest note played here or there sees them erupting in cheers. She certainly couldn’t ask for a more devoted audience.

As for the music itself; it seems she has given herself the master task of operating many a key with only 3 session musicians to back her up for the most part. But making it harder for herself is the postures in which she sits. You can hardly tell if she is twisted in her seat in such a way in order to really impress her crowd (which the heels and body performance would suggest) or if it just makes it easier for her to turn from one keyboard to the next. Either way you’re pretty sure of a couple of things. One, she is probably going to ache a bit afterwards, and secondly – she probably has done the dirty whilst playing the piano in the past.

But every movement is just as finely tuned as the notes she plays. The opening of the show lets in some dark edged and fanciful mood pieces making for more of an ethereal experience. She gets her harder rock edge groove on later on as the show progresses showing just what a range of talent she has had to offer audiences from past to present day.

It’s a shame our own Kate Bush refuses to play live shows as these two are often compared, and upon hearing music like this live you want others to do it to.