Kevin Molloy

I’ve been to two gigs just recently that have been ‘powered’, as it were, by a front-woman with a voice in the calibre that verges on ‘ridiculous’.

What’s been confusing me is the reaction to those voices. People seem to be fine with women either having softly-softly vocals, throaty whispers, delicate breaking high notes etc… or to be ‘out-there’ and zany with the vocal potential (see Bjork, Bat For Lashes etc). The idea of a straight-up powerful female voice seems to be linked, for a majority of listeners, with some kind of 80s power-rock, or with OTT country music. That, or it’s just unsettling.

The closest to having awe-inspiring vocal organs, used in a relatively straightforward, non-quirky, non-delicate way that I can think of (until these last two gigs, that is) has been Florence and the Machine, in recent years. She’s obviously courting the quirky as an act, but not so much on the vocals front – there it’s just straight up ‘lungs’.

I guss I don’t want to delve too deeply into gender-politics on this one (I’ve not even touched on Beth Ditto, Karen O etc), and I’m not even sure I’ve got a point beyond this:

Lissie and Music Go Music have both been incredible gigs.

Music Go Music takes the prize for sheer incredulity of vocal prowess, but the common theme for myself between the two of them was the simplicity of the approach – “I’ve got an awesome voice, would you like to hear it?”. Held in check when it should be, unleashed with a piercing clarity at just the right moments. No warbles. No rasp. No breaking or whispering.

I really liked it, but found myself defending both bands after the shows. Accusations of cheesiness. Dismissals of it all being ‘too much’ or ‘all about the vocals’.

Maybe so – but they were both *sodding awesome* vocalists. Well worth checking out – even if just to tell me I’m wrong.

ps – Lissie is a true-to-life hippie, and sings country songs – don’t go there if that’s going to offend you

pps – Music Go Music, on a similar note, sound like Florence and the Machine being redone by Abba covering Fleetwood Mac by way of Journey, plus some. Again, no apologies if that’s not your basket – but I wouldn’t have assumed it was mine.

ppps – postscriptums and “band name bears other band name’s bastard child” journo tags are both great fun!