REVIEW: Marina at Royal Albert Hall, London
No Diamonds, all the sparkle
Last updated 9th May 2019
At some point over the four years since her Froot album Marina and the Diamonds lost their diamonds. The singer now simply goes by Marina (sort of like Madonna or 'Cheryl'); but that doesn't mean she's lost any of the sparkle.
(We had to get that really-quite-questionable pun in there early. We couldn't concentrate on anything else.)
Having released her brand new album Love + Fear recently, Marina took her latest show to London's iconic Royal Albert Hall; and we just had to toddle along to hear the new tracks live.
Let's see what all the fuss is about, shall we?
The setlist
If you're a Marina fan, you'll know that her new album is divided into two halves; Love and Fear. The show was split similarly, with the two sections representing the euphoric nature of love juxtaposed with feelings of overpowering anxiety.
On paper, the idea sounds disjointed. In reality, it works.
Marina's undeniable talent means she can sell both sides of the album with a sincerity that guides you through such opposing narratives seamlessly. Basically, a ballad can follow a bop without the entire audience asking 'what the f**k?'
We're not gonna lie, with the second half of the album released just a week before the show we worried those tracks we don't know quite so well might've fallen flat. How wrong we were.
Crafting the dream setlist of old Marina classics with the new material, we loved hearing Primadonna next to Enjoy Your Life. Soft to be Strong followed by I'm a Ruin. Froot into Orange Trees. While all these songs come with their own memories for us (Hollywood brings back all the uni feels), they work together and are all so unmistakably Marina.
Our only qualm? We would've liked Bubblegum Bitch, but we'll let her off.
The staging
WHAT. A. SHOW.
Possibly the biggest surprise of the night came courtesy of Marina's backing vocalists-come-dancers. While we don't often associate the Greek-Welsh singer with perfectly-synchronised choreography, each track was brought to life through interpretive (and, in some cases, The Saturdays-esque kitsch) dance.
We mean The Saturdays thing as a compliment, by the way.
As if that wasn't enough we also got pom-poms, neon lightsaber-type things and some atmospheric visuals. Brilliant.
The best bits
While the snazzy staging's all well and good, Marina's vocals were the absolute highlight here.
We know she can sing 'cause we're playing Clean Bandit collab Baby a LOT on heat Radio right now, but the theatrical nature of Marina's voice sent actual shivers down our spine. Stunning solo piano-led ballad Happy proved her vocals can work on the commercial chart bangers and vulnerable ballads alike and, essentially, we bloody love her.
Also, Karma is crying out for a single release and show closer How to be a Heartbreaker will never not be THAT BOP.
The final verdict: 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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