Bat For Lashes, February 2020, Town Hall, New York

My love for Bat for Lashes (Natasha Khan) started when I was 15. Since then I’ve had on my closet wall in my parent’s house (above my sewing machine, duh) a cut out from Noise Magazine with her profile. I loved what she had to say about her music in that article and Trophy will always be one of my favourite songs. As a Russian Studies (Eastern European Folklore) Minor (who did a seminar on Vampires), it only made sense for me to cover the tour off of her release of the album Lost Girls, inspired by her move to L.A. and the 80’s vampire cult classic Lost Boys. 

So let’s get kicked off with the venue. Town Hall is a 1,500 seat, non-profit, historic landmark sat in the heart of NYC’s Theatre District and Times Square. Founded by Suffragists in 1921, it was in this venue that box seats were eliminated and the phrase “not a bad seat in the house” was coined. A decade or so later, it is on this stage that the Vonn Trapp Family Choir made their NY debut. Followed by Billie Holiday’s first major solo show and then her last solo show, Ravi Shankar’s NY debut, Sammy Davis’ Jr first live album, and other debuts or first major shows of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Meredith Monk, Celine Dion, and the list goes on. Check-in to the venue was easy and quick. I was seated in a Loge (lower balcony) seat and had the perfect view, but there could be no bad views in the theatre unless you are seated behind a tall person. To, of course, which I was, but luckily we all remained seated the entire night. There is very limited legroom, and the seats were fairly narrow, so I’d keep that in mind when booking. The crowd was mostly mid-20s-50s. Snacks were reasonably priced at $5 (I had sour patch kids for dinner, you will always know your candy options with me as your guide) and there was even an early bird concession boy with both wine and dad jokes.  

Upon entering, red uplights cascaded the historic theatre’s walls. The stage curtains were open and nine lanterns were hanging on mic stands surrounding the two red keyboards, one pink guitar, and microphone. The start was held for 20 minutes which was frustrating. Minutes to opening, the soundtrack turns to horror, with the Michael Myers theme song. At first, based on the gel choices and the horror theme music, I had thought a spooky night was in store. However, the effect was girly, spring-like, and glowing. In a way, like a film, this album is a coming of age tale. And based on the visual choices Natasha made, it felt as if she was recreating her own coming of age tale. 

The stage turned golden and through the use of purple, red, pink, and peach gels remained in this feminine dayglo visual space. The lanterns brightened and softened between the songs, alternating between warm tungsten and lightning bugs. She welcomed onto the stage Laura Groves, her accompanist and backing singer, who was also an unexpected star of the show, with her 80’s grey power suit. (Girl, you were seen.)

Natasha had on a giant red frilly 1980’s dress, with dainty red heels. Through the first few tracks, the layout of the stage, along with costume and lighting choices, reminded me of the Showtime reboot of Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Bat for Lashes at the Bang Bang Bar. However, as the show progressed, this initial impression (probably only stemming from my love of Lynch) dissipated and the effect was a more little girl in her mother’s dress. However, she is not a little girl, and this transformation into glimpsing her inner child was powerful. Her signature dark locks were loose and messy and kept falling into her face, which added to the impression that the dress was not hers and in it, she was “being grown-up”. 

She is a relaxed performer there to do her job. Like watching a friend perform in her fanciest dress at the local open mic night. This stripped stage and the set is intimate (as the show has been marketed) yes, but in that it makes you feel familiar with Natasha, a character often masked by her creations. It would not surprise me if this is the last album under the moniker of “Bat for Lashes”. 

Her voice sounds exactly like every recording. I was surprised to learn that her whispery rasp is not an affectation. Her speaking voice also shares a similar quality and is almost closer to a whisper. Although she is not the strongest singer, what she lacks in power and tone she makes up for with her distinct style. She knows how to make her voice sound good which is arguably the best talent a singer can have. Unfortunately, she had a cough, which she kept trying to hide and clear, and then would adorably refer to as the “frog in her throat”. There were copious amounts of Poland Spring water on stage. 

 Between each track, she left time for sharing anecdotes. She read excerpts from poems and lyrics she’d penned. She read excerpts from the novella she wrote for her album The Bride. She told tales of her obsession with “Missing Time”, the phenomena when the brain processes trauma by omitting the memory, resulting in the loss of time. (She learned this through a seminar on Aliens she took in college.) Before each cover, came a tale of a little girl inspired by her mother’s record collection, or a song she had heard at her Goonies themed birthday party. Her covers were mostly rough. I will give her the benefit of the doubt that it was the “frog’s” doing. However, she clearly had fun singing “I Drove All Night” and it was nice to leave a show with the feeling that the artist enjoyed themself. But these are the same tales that she has told in all of her press interviews. I do wish her anecdotes would change from concert to concert. In the age of social media, fans will have gotten wind of these stories before the tour hits their city, and then they feel less like little vignettes of the artist’s life that you have been given permission to inhabit, and more like a staged play.

 If she makes anything clear she is not a recording artist. She is through and through a musician and a storyteller first. Despite her gorgeous costume and unique vocal tonality, her performance relies on her keyboard. In a time when even the most accomplished musicians are moving away from their instruments towards choreography fit for social media reshares, this is refreshing. Where Natasha really shined was in her final song before her encores. Laura is the only track that seemed as if she felt her words and story. The audience lived it with her and it was arguably her best vocal performance of the evening. 

 Her aptitude at capturing mood and tone both emotionally and sonically is what makes her odes to cult-favourite films feel as if they had always been a part of the soundtrack. It neither feels antiquated, derivative, or worse “in homage”. Simply that it’s always been. She is able to easily tap into impressions that have been etched into our consciousness. This is effective from a little help of her synths and low drums inspired by “The Boss”. Each track could stand alone, as inspiration for an 80s pop-rock classic or a rap. If every sad girl married their 80’s rock god/dress, Natasha’s soundscape is their union. Both sacred and profane. This duality is mirrored in her vocals, which are both emotive and mourning: mourning the loss of innocence, the loss of perception of the time/space continuum, backed by heavy synth and bass. 

 The word haunting is often used to describe her work. I feel that is a slight mischaracterization and her music is more phantasmagorical. This is a woman who knows life’s ghosts. This is an artist who understands life’s rituals. At the root, the audience is bearing witness to an artistic catharsis of grief, of a woman trying to have it all, balance it all. But she is not referring to women’s work, or the pay gap, or motherhood/career. This is spiritual territory we have entered. 

All of her works strive to balance the duality of life: good/evil, light/dark, life/death. Underneath it is a woman writing through grief and sharing that struggle of deciding who to be, what choices to make, what to leave behind, and how to come out of it. 

On stage is a woman who has moved past the emotional holds these songs once held her in. Whether it is through emotional work or simply desensitization from continual performance, it is clear these tracks are now memories. She is appreciative of the audience, at every clap and scream she smiles and nods, almost embarrassed, as if we were all her friends supporting her. She even asked for the lights to be turned up so the audience could be seen, instead of a vault of black nothingness. I wish more artists would think of the audience as friends in the seats instead of as fans. We want to see you succeed and take part in the gift that you’ve shared with us. It was exciting to watch her enjoy herself, instead of watching her show us how vocally talented she is or how cool her cover choices were. This is a fan show. It is a solid performance either way but recommended for those who are already familiar. If you are not, this might not be the best first impression or entry point into her catalogue of work. 

 Based on the anecdotes told and repeated mentions of the 80’s, her style in dress and its effect, this show was in homage to Natasha’s youth. This is her 10-year-old girl dream realised. With her growth both personally and sonically, her signature as an artist remains unhindered. She is talent personified. At her heart, Natasha is a storyteller. How much of her story is just that? I don’t believe it is an artifice. I believe, as all great stories, it is one part fact, one part fiction. After all, we all tell stories about ourselves each and every day. I look forward to her next story. Hopefully, in this next creation, she’ll have an opportunity to add a visual to her sound. New York loves you. Come back soon. 

 P.S. Have you seen Vampire in Brooklyn?

Set List

1. Kids in the Dark

2. Hunger

3. Mountains

4. Feel for You

5. Jasmine

6. Joe’s Dream

7. Boys of Summer

8. Missing Time / Close Encounters

9. Daniel

10. Horse & I

11. Laura

12. Moon and Moon

13. This Woman’s Work

14. I Drove All Night