Basia Bulat – The Luminaire, London 26/04/10

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All photography by Sebastien Dehesdin

It was only due to Basia Bulat’s sheer tenaciousness that this gig took place at all. Whilst many transatlantic artists found themselves stranded across the pond thanks to the wrath of the Icelandic Magma Gods, the Canadian songstress raised her middle finger to Eyjafjallajokull and made it all the way to Kilburn, with just an hour to spare. Her dedication in getting to the country in the first place is impressive enough, but it’s obvious she lavishes that level of effort on everything she does – at least if this performance was any indication.

The primary instrument on display tonight is the auto-harp, which immediately differentiates her from the vast majority of her peers. True, as a singer-songwriter she was legally obliged to play at least some of her songs on an acoustic guitar, but the auto-harp’s staccato harshness provided a far more striking and engaging sound, elevating songs that might have otherwise been rather unexceptional into something much more intriguing. The quality of the vocals also helps- there’s a slight huskiness in her voice which, combined with an unusual but character tremolo distinguishes her plaintive, country-style vocals. The highlight of the night was the mournful “The Shore,” performed on a hammered dulcimer (an instrument sadly overlooked in the annals of contemporary popular music) although an acoustic Strokes cover also impressed.

Though most of her backing band remained in Canada, assistance was furnished by Basia’s ukulele-toting partner Holly Jane Rancher, whose delicate harmonies added extra layers of loveliness, even if they were a little too understated at times. But there’s no doubting Basia could have easily carried off the show alone, such is her talent and personality, and even a jaded and jetlagged reviewer such myself can find little to fault her with. She clearly loves playing this city, and from the reaction she elicited from the audience, this city clearly loves her too.