Brighton Festival – Laurie Anderson – Delusion

Performance artist and one time pop star, Anderson has an immense reputation on the international scene, but last night I was hard pressed to see why. For 90 minutes we listened to her ramblings, often computerised to drop her voice to a male register, though heaven knows why. The musical landscape had moments of grandeur, almost symphonic, but was also prone to rambling and for the great part was dependent not on virtuosity but on electronic wizardry. Visually the performance seldom raised its game above that of a pop video. By stringing the parts together one supposes that her aim was to add gravitas to the piece, but all it did was hide away the moments of genuine beauty. Her opening message about carrots and donkeys is one that she should pay heed to. Her donkey had died, maybe it’s time to find a new one.

Concert Hall, Brighton Dome, 26 May
[Rating:2/5]
Andrew Kay