Family Jewels, Electra Heart and Froot, Oh My!
On November 3rd, Metropolis hosted Welsh singer-songwriter Marina and the Diamonds and having only discovered her music this summer—when my love was crystallized by her incredible Osheaga performance—I was thrilled for another chance to see her.
On entering Metropolis, the audience member is immediately immersed in sound echoing off-stage, lights awash from the rear. But those lights also reveal the number of packed bodies in the venue and how claustrophobic it is, which can be quite intimidating no matter how experienced a concert-goer you are.
My friend and I arrived a little late so we only caught the tail end of the opening act, Christine and the Queens. I can say, from the little I saw, that she had an angelic voice and some solid backup dancers.
After almost an hour of waiting, the lights dimmed and the screaming rose; neon lights began pulsating from the stage. Her bandmates came onstage, taking up their instruments, and beginning the opening track. After a few beats, Mariana followed, met with excited cheers from the crowd.
One would think that a purple mouse-eared headband, bright red flowing crop top and purple skirt would look absolutely ridiculous on your average person. Not Marina Diamandis!
The picture of elegance in her flashy get-up, she started off the concert with “Mowgli’s Road” from her debut album, Family Jewels.
Diamandis explained that the concert would be split up into three acts, matching up with her three albums. I appreciated this as an artistic choice because it gave the audience a chance to hear her musical evolution, as well as allowing her fans to bask in the nostalgia of her older work while still getting to enjoy her newer songs.
After Family Jewels wrapped up, she changed into a pink dress with holes in the sides to perform Electra Heart. One of her more noteworthy performances of the second act was her song “Lies” that included heavy guitar influence and strobe lights, quite the contrast from her subdued and much more quiet music video.
The final act was from Diamandis’ new album Froot and that’s the song she began with, decked out in a sparkling blue jumpsuit and a blue cherry headband.
You can believe I had a much better experience while jumping and singing along to these newer songs, which included my new favourite, “Savages”, which discussed violence as an innately human condition.
Marina is a brilliant performer who knows how to keep her audience engaged and make us a part of her act. Her vocal prowess also never ceased to amaze me throughout the concert.
Though I wasn’t able to meet her, despite waiting almost an hour, I feel blessed that I was able to be as close to her as I was and you can best believe that I will be in that crowd when she returns.
