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REVIEW: Robert Plant At The Forum

The Band Of Joy kicks off European tour in London with a euphoric show

Robert Plant launched his European tour with a very special gig at the HMV Forum in London with an audience made up largely of fans who had pre-ordered his new studio album. We managed to get hold of a much sought after ticket to go along to see him.

The sweltering HMV Forum in Kentish Town, London played host to Robert Plant’s first proper UK gig for nearly two years as he kicked off the Europe leg of his tour last night with his new project, the Band Of Joy – an Americana inspired bunch of musicians largely based in Nashville who, along with Plant, have produced an album of inspired covers of songs ranging from soul to traditional folk music.

There’s no grand entrance, no opening ceremony. The stage set was pretty sparse, save for the musicians and their instruments, and the lighting was static. This was the very definition no frills, and presumably Plant’s chance to roll back the years to the simple pleasure of performing songs he loves with musicians he enjoys playing with in front of an audience, as he did with the original Band Of Joy in 1968. The only difference is that this time he has a near hysterically reverential audience to impress.

The set moves fluidly between cover songs from the new album to a handful of tracks from across his solo back catalogue, with a smattering of Zeppelin songs thrown in for good measure. The songs have all been reworked into rootsy alt-country numbers which sound fresh and give new life to previously familiar songs. The Led Zeppelin songs in particular are almost unrecognisable at times, with set closer Gallows Pole turned into a gothic-folk stomp, and Houses Of The Holy transformed into a bluegrass rocker.

Plant is keen to reinforce the fact that this is a BAND and as such three of the other band members take lead vocal duties on occasion (Buddy Miller, Darryl Scott and Patti Griffin all take turns in front of the mic). And while these numbers are as rapturously received as any other on the night, Plant’s stage presence is such that he would probably have had to leave the venue, get a taxi to Heathrow and fly to somewhere east of Moscow before he stopped being the focus of attention. Even Robert Plant hidden in the shadows at the back of the stage is ROBERT PLANT.

There are just a few minor lags in the set – surprisingly few, in fact, considering the number of tracks played which barely anyone in the audience would have known. There are occasional moments when the energy level dropped sufficiently for the punishing heat inside the venue to get on top of the audience, but then Plant and his band pick the crowd back up with a slice of country blues boogie, or a neck-hair raising harmony and all is right with the world again. Oddly it’s one or two of the Zeppelin numbers that don’t quite take off as much as they could. Perhaps it’s over familiarity, or perhaps it’s that the songs just don’t quite convert into Americana, or perhaps it’s that there are also a couple of odd moments when you could see Plant almost literally itching to flex his rock singer muscles and the crowd are eager to see him genuinely let rip.

But this is by no means a loud gig and, as Plant himself has reinforced in recent weeks, he no longer feels connected to heavy rock. The sound is rich and full, but it's intricate rather than riproaring and the musicianship is, at times, spellbinding. Don’t go along to his forthcoming tour dates expecting to headbang the night away, but approach them with an open mind and in the mood to have a good time. In fact everything you need to know about this show in the very apt name.

The Band Of Joy – it does what it says on the tin.

  1. Down to the Sea
  2. Monkey
  3. House of Cards
  4. Please Read The Letter
  5. Misty Mountain Hop
  6. Rich Woman
  7. Somewhere Trouble Don't Go (Buddy Miller Vocal)
  8. Twelve Gates to the City / Wade in the Water / In My Time of Dying
  9. All The King's Horses
  10. Satisfied Mind (Darryl Scott Vocal)
  11. Move on Up in Glory (Patti Griffin Vocal)
  12. Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down
  13. Central-Two-O-Nine
  14. Angel Dance
  15. Houses of the Holy
  16. Tall Cool One
  17. Over The Hills And Far Away
  18. Gallows Pole
    Encore:
  19. Harm’s Swift Way
  20. Rock & Roll
  21. And We Bid You Goodnight (Band Vocal)