Institute of Contemporary Arts

Adem

Date: 23 September 2008

Adem. Photo: Lisa Michelle Farrell

Alan Morgan.

Listen to Adem performing 'Statues' live at the ICA. (mp3)

Tuesday night and the post-weekend blues have kicked in; we are all tired, all hungover, all a little bit older, and probably not a lot wiser. But cometh the hour arrives a beautifully created performance from the ICA in which the crowd might have departed feeling that it was the support acts who were the real stars of tonight's show.

The crowd edge in slow and gingerly to see Brighton based Mary Hampton, who had started early, kindly insisting that everybody sit down on the floor during her performance (who could turn down such a nice lady?) It had the elements of a Joanna Newsome performance; shrill, soulful vocals which captivated the room, intricate musical arrangements which sounded effortlessly simple, with poetic, clever lyrics to match. It is a shame that Mary finds herself relatively unknown to this evening's crowd, but endears herself by playing a beautiful song with the assistance of the audience shaking their keys quietly, which creates a delicate ambience. The audience applauds for what was a soulful, heart-warming ending to a show, which Mary smiles nervously, thanks her new fans and departs. No less than two minutes later the next act are shaping up to blow the ICA away.

What happens at the accidental meeting of inkblots, photocopies, cardboard, angle-poise lamps, the occasional table, video technology, a laptop, and a banana box? Why it is The Paper Cinema, fresh off their hotly anticipated BAC and Edinburgh Fringe shows, tonight providing an extraordinary performance for the ICA. Originally from Bournemouth, the group use projections of convoluted, hand-drawn marionettes on to a white screen to tell a fairytale narrative which is juxtaposed with the macabre live music of Kora, who uses a variety of instruments such as cello, guitar and accordion to successfully add a sense of mystery and enchantment to the story. It really is exhilarating stuff. It is not conventional in the slightest, and gives the audience the thrill of seeing a truly wonderful show being made right before their eyes.

Adem enters on stage in a typical low-key, reserved manner; "I don't know about you guys but I am having a really great night", he said quietly, with an acknowledging smile (after all, the man did hand-pick the evening's entertainment!) Adem's one-man show is greeted with a rapturous applause from a devoted following, and delivers his set with a more mature vocal sound than appeared on his older albums. The set tonight is made up mostly of songs from his first two records Homesongs and Love and Other Planets, which were both critically acclaimed but lacked the commercial success of his contemporaries. There are also some very well received cover songs thrown in from 2008's album Takes, such as Björk, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, and more besides. Adem's confidence grew as the set continued, and to say it was a heart-warming set would be an understatement. He even throws in an improvised duet with Mary Hampton to bring a truly great evening to a close and leave the audience wanting more.