British live music three times: The Glass Animals, James Blake and the Arctic Monkeys ensure a stylish start to this year’s Zurich Open Air.
Alex Turner’s singing is particularly well expressed in a slow tempo.
An evening in one piece. You rarely experience that at the big open-air festivals. Cabbage and turnips are usually mixed in the musical program. Just as curry dishes, raclette or vegan cheeseburgers are offered for sale next to each other at the food stands, old or shooting stars from hip-hop, rock and techno ensure a random succession or confusion on the larger and smaller stages.
The start of the Zurich Open Air 2022 on Tuesday, on the other hand, looked like a finely curated event. You immersed yourself in the culture of British live music. And that says a lot. The musicians consistently impressed with their live competence and stage presence. But just because of the shared origins of Glass Animals, James Blake and Arctic Monkeys, a standard seemed to be set in terms of gesture and habit.
Two gentlemen and a rocker
Dubstep poet James Blake and Glass Animals singer Dave Bayley both wore white. The textile lightness and purity of her beige trousers and white shirts or jumpers harmonized with the dandy-like nonchalance of her appearance. The two singers distinguished themselves as gentlemen by their mannered and ironic demeanor towards the audience, whereby their behavior seemed to have a certain reserve against any kind of pandering.
One can also speak of reserve in the case of Alex Turner, but with him coolness and sex appeal dominate. The Arctic Monkeys frontman also liked to wear a white shirt. But he hid it under a brown leather jacket for two reasons. For one thing, the Sheffield garage rock band’s concert took place at an hour after the evening sun had given way to a cool breeze. On the other hand, the jacket marked the rocker.
Bands like the Arctic Monkeys, who fueled the punk and post-punk revival in the noughties, still owe the old rock culture a welcome vitality today. In Zurich, the band put in an extensive and very varied set of a good hour and a half. She went through almost everything that fits into rocker stuff – from blues to surf sounds, from new wave to funky beats.
The fact that the Arctic Monkeys are traditional live musicians is also shown by the fact that they vary their set list on tour. As the concert showed, this ensures freshness and spontaneity in the sound on the one hand; on the other hand, here and there you had to accept certain compromises in terms of perfection. The interaction worked best at the key points of the concert – in the encore “UR Mine” and in the opener “Do I Wanna Know”.
The latter suits Alex Turner with the moderate pace. Here and also in the ballad-like “Cornerstone” the singer was able to demonstrate his crooner qualities. The philanderer stood with his legs apart in front of the microphone to let his torso sway rhythmically while his voice nestled through the lyrics, sometimes flippantly, sometimes heatedly.
The Arctic Monkeys’ seminal debut album was released in 2006, five years later James Blake’s seminal debut album was released. His trio’s performance preceded the rock concert on the main stage and took place on the smaller tent stage. Unfortunately, the sound in the “Tent” – actually an open hall – did not always do justice to its fine, at times precarious sound and song constructs. Blakes has invested his musical genius in the interlacing of melodic garlands and various electronic beats. But now the finer moments of the composition disappeared under the booming bass or in the noise of the audience.
Confident timing
The Londoner’s outstanding musicality was nevertheless evident: in songs such as “Limit To Your Love” or “CMYK” and “Retrograde” he demonstrated his original use of electronics. In cover versions of “Vincent” (Don McLean) and “Godspeed” (Frank Ocean), he was able to shine as a sensitive singer with differentiated phrasing, who also accompanies himself on the keyboard with sovereign timing.
In 2016 the debut album of the Glass Animals was released, which launched the festival evening on the main stage with a light-footed performance. The indie pop band seems to develop their repertoire in the studio. But the five courageous musicians know how to mix a lot of earthy live sounds into the canned synths. The funky grooves and the gripping choruses reminded of role models like Talking Heads or Hot Chip. The concert finally culminated in the hit “Heat Waves”. Heat waves not only ensure summery weather, but also a good mood.
