Imogen Heap

It’s the kind of place you expect to look up and see little flitterings of light as fairies frolic in the leaves of the enormous ghost gums. In the bottom of the amphitheatre, the stage had a see-through grand piano sitting beneath an old tree which was suspended and strung with fairy lights – in honour of the fairies in the trees I guess. I saw them dancing amongst the lights when she sang a couple of the songs.

I didn’t expect her to sound as she does on her CDs because they all sound very ‘studio’. But she did sound exactly like she does on them. Imogen Heap. I’ve loved her music for years and I couldn’t believe it when I heard she was coming and where she was playing. In a forest, to a tiny audience, indescribable really, but I’ll try.

As the sun set, the sky turned dark blue and the trees stretched above into the starry night. The lights twinkled in the tree above her and she reeled me in. I was transfixed, entranced by her music, her voice went through me, straight into my heart, which clenched at the beauty of it. Sublime, ethereal, and at the same time she’s real, full of stories, funny.

She sings, plays the piano, makes noises with her voice which she replays and sings with, has cymbals, microphones on her wrists, an mbira, a cellist… the list goes on. And she turns it all into music that’ll make the fairies dance.

Now that’s what I call a music concert, all senses prickle and you don’t want it to end. I’m going to be hard-pressed to see a performer that comes close to Imogen Heap. What a pleasure and priviledge to see her perform in such a spectacular setting.

See? Didn’t I say I’m the luckiest girl in the world?