Winter has officially descended on Leeds. The fleeting blue skies of autumn have long gone, signalling the arrival of cold, grey mornings and four o’clock sunsets. As the days get darker, leaving the house seems to require an increasing level of motivation and a good winter coat. Yet if ever there were a reason to brave the gloomy Yorkshire weather on a Thursday evening, it would surely be this: the long-awaited return of Wisconsin ensemble Bon Iver at the O2 Academy.
It has been almost three years since the frontman and author of Bon Iver, Justin Vernon, released his debut album For Emma, Forever Ago. Recorded in an isolated cabin in snowy Midwest America, Vernon’s For Emma was an assembly of delicate acoustic melodies, poignant yet often ambiguous lyrics and a voice which was captivatingly sincere. After a prolonged period of hibernation, Bon Iver – now a nine-piece collective – have returned to the scene with the highly anticipated release of their second record Bon Iver, Bon Iver.
Whilst the first album expressed Vernon’s love for a person, the second is a homage to places. And geography is certainly a theme of the evening’s performance. The band guides the audience through their new songs, connecting stirring vocals with triumphant instrumental interludes, pausing only occasionally for Vernonto speak to the crowd – ‘I’m obsessed with places’ he confesses. The first stop on our journey this evening, Perth, is a euphoric symphony of military-like snare drums and bellowing horns. It is followed by the plucky acoustic guitars and smooth saxophones in Minnesota WI, a contrast of staccato and fluid sounds combined with Vernon’s unique voice – itself an instrument in the orchestra. The third port of call, Holocene, with its more delicate melodies and melancholic lyrics is a nod to the band’s first album.
The first three tracks are linked seamlessly and the ensemble barely stops to exchange trumpets for clarinets and guitars for violins. As the last words of Holocene resound through the venue,Vernon steps up to the microphone to welcome his audience. ‘Congratulations, you’ve found the treasure’, he reveals. This statement could not be truer in tonight’s topography. It may be cold and grey outside, but inside the dawn is breaking on a recently revived Bon Iver. The new sound is more plugged-in, more produced and fronted by a man who has broken free of the hunting cabin with a record that is to be shouted from the rooftops.
If it seemed like For Emma really was forever ago, the second part of the evening’s set pays tribute to the band’s more acoustic roots. Interspersed among the new songs dedicated to the places of Virginia and Calgary are the familiar sounds of Flume and re: Stacks – a cut-back, raw harmony of guitar and captivatingly honest vocals. The sincerity with which every song is played, whether from the first or second record, is a credit to the band’s sheer belief in their own music. Whilst many groups suffer the “curse of the second album” – take for instance Glasvegas whose follow-up to a platinum debut record, acclaimed by the likes of NME and Bono, saw them being dropped by their record label within three weeks of its release – Bon Iver have without doubt avoided this downfall. Even with the introduction of different styles, unfamiliar instruments and certainly new band members, they have remained rooted in that authentic, potent sound. It is this lack of musical compromise which has resulted in Bon Iver, Bon Iver selling over a hundred thousand copies in its first week and reaching Number 2 in the US Charts.
The final song of the set, The Wolves, begins as a dialogue between a single electric guitar and Vernon’s echoing vocals. As the beating of the bass drum increases, the song builds and builds to a deafening crescendo of blaring guitars, crashing cymbals and the crowd’s impassioned chanting of the lyric ‘what might have been lost’. It is a spectacular climax to the evening. As the cries of the audience boom throughout the venue, the ensemble appears on stage once more, minus all instruments save for one well-worn acoustic guitar. The greatly appreciated encore, Skinny Love, arguably Bon Iver’s most popular track, is strummed byVernon yet sung by band and crowd alike – filling the venue with an atmosphere of communal joy.
Stepping outside, goosebumps tingle the arms of each audience member. Yet this time it’s not the cold Leedsweather which is to blame. Justin Vernon may have journeyed a long way since the wintry days of For Emma, yet his music continues to mesmerise all those who cross his path. The self-reflective lyric ‘And I knew I was not magnificent’ from the track Holocene seems unfitting in the context of tonight’s performance: Bon Iver have proven just how magnificent a live act they really are.
Sally Robinson
Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/parttimemusic/3251416480/
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