Zero 7

Having never been to The Roundhouse before, I have to gush about it a little bit before I get down to the business of reviewing the gig. As you walk down Chalk Farm Road, you suddenly get the feeling that someone has plucked you out of the air and plonked you down in the middle of the South Bank. Or vice versa. Looking from the outside, the building is almost entirely glass fronted, allowing you a sneak preview of the low-lit, leather upholstered bar and restaurant before you even step through the door. I didn't get time to sneak a look at the menu, but I imagine it was minimalist, smart and of the moment. I wouldn't have been surprised if every dish was garnished with rocket and parmesan shavings.

The main hall is – unsurprisingly – round. There is a circle of pillars about 10 ft inside the perimeter, beyond which, unfortunately, the sound quality noticeably drops off. There were a few people sitting and lying down around the edges, determined to hear this chilled out band in a chilled out manner, but most people were jostling for position inside the 'golden circle', as it were. Once entering the main area, people are still well-supplied, with 3 bars and a food point spread around the edge. We were in the standing area, but there is upstairs seating, both terraces and tables, and what proudly proclaimed to be a 'members bar', although it was so far around to one side that I can't imagine any of the chosen could actually see the gig.



Entering the stage, Zero 7 received a warm reception – having been out of the limelight of late, people were understandably keen to see what they'd been up to. Unfortunately, it transpired, the answer could be best expressed as "not much". Most of Zero 7 were dressed entirely in white, allowing Sam Hardaker and vocalists Eska Mtungwaze and Olivia Cheney to stand out in the limelight, but also giving the set a slightly scientific feel – something borne out both by their minute attention to detail during their songs, and the failure to generate any warmth or emotion during the evening.

The set started out very upbeat and dancey, with repetitive beats and fast lighting changes. The tempo change in 'Sleeper' turned the song into something reminiscent of Faithless. From 'Sleeper', they moved straight into 'Home' – the fifth song of the set, and the first one that anyone knew. This began to warm up what had until then been a slightly lost crowd, who had been expecting emotion-laden, tear-jerking chill out, and had instead been faced so far with dance beats, strident soul vocals and audience participation (seriously, would anyone start clapping along to the first song in a set, from a band that's been out of the limelight for years, when that song is brand new?).



Having produced nothing since The Garden (2006), Zero 7 seemed overly keen to promote their new album, Yeah Ghost, with two thirds of the set being entirely new music, to the disappointment of the crowd. Of these new songs, only one, 'The Road', received a better-than-average reception. It was a slow paced, laid back song with Eska singing a wonderful vocal line that evoked memories of classic, Simple Things Zero 7. Unfortunately, however, it lacked that extra dimension that would have taken it beyond any other electro-ballad into something other, something that connected with every individual in the room on a fundamentally personal level. This is what Zero 7 are known for and it is this ability that they seem to have lost – possibly with the loss of Sia Furler, their vocalist on previous albums.

If there’s one thing that can be said for Zero 7, it's that they don't simply churn out album-perfect replicas of their greatest hits. However, after listening to 'Home', 'Speed Dial' (both performed by Olivia) and 'Destiny' (performed by Eska) I wondered if that isn't simply because they don't have singers that can cope with them. 'Pageant Of The Bizarre' was probably the most well-performed 'old song' of the set, suiting Eska's passion and vocal style much better than the more ethereal 'Destiny'. The songs people recognised were all well received, as you'd expect when a set of almost entirely new material is broken up by an old classic, but they didn't evoke the feelings I had been expecting. I adore Zero 7, I have for years. I was so excited about seeing them perform live for the first time. But I was left empty, untouched by the music. Listening to their albums leaves me more emotional than this set did.



Set list:

Count Me Out
Mr McGee
Swing
Sleeper
Home
Pop Art Blue - D
Speed Dial #2
Ghost sYmBL
The Road
Destiny
Zizou
Flame
Sees/Peeps
Dogs/Abs
Meds
Waiting Line
Pageant Of The Bizarre
All Of Us

FUTURE GIGS

sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.