YANN TIERSEN (London Scala, 29/04/07)

The Yann Tiersen show yesterday was the most bizarre gig I think I've ever been to. I arrived at the Scala at 8.45, having been imbibing drinks at the Big Chill with some friends, assuming that even at that late hour we'd find a half-decent vantage point. We were wrong. Because you can't access the floor of the auditorium without descending from the cramped balcony, it's impossible to get through once people are already perched there so we were stuck right by the exit, unable to see a bloody thing So, we thought "bugger this for a lark", and retreated to the balcony bar where at least we could hear the music in relative comfort. Problem was, because it was so high up you could only see the band through the fellow patrons legs so Jennywren scouted out another bar, which although chock-a-block with loud Gallic people at least provided a decent view of the proceedings on stage. It may have not been ideal, but it was a laugh all the same. As for Yann himself, he was very, very good- far better than I was expecting. His balladry was too drippy for my liking, but the intense post-rock elements combined with some manic violin playing were fantastic. He even managed to fit in an accordion track at one stage, although the highlight for me was the novel rendition of 'La Valse d'Amelie," with its xylophone intro seguing into a heavy rock epic. Don't think anyone was expecting that! Next time, I'll have to mosey on down a bit earlier so I can see the damn thing...