James Blake10.10.23
Montreal, QC
This show was quite an intimate little affair! James Blake has a new album out, Playing Robots into Heaven; and it's undeniably a return to his electronic roots. So with this show, I was very pleased to see him strike a nice balance of thumping live mixes spanning the majority of his new album and all the melancholic and singular singer-songwriter work he's put out throughout the last few years, with Assume Form and Friends That Break Your Heart.
L'Olympia theatre in Montreal was a perfect venue for what James Blake was going for here. Smaller in size but great sightlines with its slanted floor. Up until now, most of the live shows I've attended have been at larger, arena or stadium sized venues (or outdoor festivals for that matter). This was a good reminder that acoustics can be much more pleasing and less overwhelming in a venue that is designed for shows, not sports!
Highlights here were a surprise performance of "Say What You Will", as requested by a determined crowd member. That's honestly my favourite track from Friends That Break Your Heart, so I was quite excited to hear that one. And his cover of Frank Ocean's "Godspeed" was a beautiful take on the original.
