I am the first to admit that when it comes to gigs, I go for a show – to be entertained. Whether that be with glam rock pyro and fire or an intimate story telling session with a singer, I want to connect with something. On Tuesday night I went to see Canada’s Hannah Georgas, a synth-pop singer-songwriter whose star is on the rise. In the lofty atmosphere of the Apollo, I watched and listened as her electric stylings simply floated off into the ether.
Let’s begin with the positives. Hannah Georgas has a beautiful voice. It’s smokey smouldering, occasionally sounding on the verge of breaking with emotion. By employing an echoey effect on the mic, it’s quite haunting the way the vocal just floats through the audience, gently whispering in our ears. Tracks like ‘Enemies’, which sounds almost like it’s coming up from under the sea, allow her to really show off, and she does sound lovely. Lyrically she’s very sassy, ‘Somebody’ for all it’s floaty vocals and twangy guitars is in fact a bitter ode to a lost lover, and is really quite wonderful. There’s also some really rather enthusiastic drumming, and he should be commended!
Alas for me, the whole thing felt very lacklustre. Her songs, as lovely as they are, just don’t seem to translate to the stage in a particularly exciting way. On record the intricacies of the electronics and her experimentation with sound really come to life and sort of skip out of the speakers (see ‘Shortie’ for a great example). Live, her synth based music for me just sounded flat and not particularly interesting. The soundscapes seemed to blur into one, all I could essentially hear was a series of songs that could be used as backgrounds to emotional Made In Chelsea montages. And as nice as that is, it doesn’t hold my attention for half an hour.
Synth-pop live seems to be music for the generation that gigs through their IPhones – alienating and not as good as it could be. Maybe if Georgas played in a less lofty venue than perhaps she would sound more captivating, because it’s obvious she’s talented. Alas, this kind of Haim-lite was not so engaging, stick to the CD.
Kate Tittley
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