By Samantha Tatro
This past Saturday the 24th of September, Oh Land and her supporting act Graffiti6, performed at BU Central to a crowd of about 100 people. Although not many people know about the Danish singer-songwriter (whose name is pronounced with a long ‘a’, as opposed to just saying “land”) and her supporting British band, the fortunate few who took a chance and showed up were lucky: Graffiti6 and Oh Land surpassed everyone’s expectations.
I’ll admit I didn’t originally plan on going to the concert. Before that Saturday, I had no clue who Oh Land was and I wasn’t even sure I’d like her music (even though I basically listen to everything and anything except screamo). But my friend, in all her wisdom, told me I’d “like her music,” so I went with the intention of leaving halfway through.
The doors opened late and the show started late, so that was a major negative for me. I wasn’t sure about the whole performance at that point, so we took a seat rather than rushing to the front. When Graffiti6, a group of 3 guys and their guitars, opened, I wish I had stood at the front. I’ve seen more than a couple of live bands and acoustic sessions (Jason Mraz topping the list!), but Jamie Scott, the lead singer, was outstanding. The second he started singing, I got up, took my camera, and moved as close to the front of the crowd as I could. Their recorded music is catchy and alternative with an acoustic twist, but live, they sounded raw, unplugged, and sort of magical combined with such a clean and beautiful voice. Their range of songs- acoustic, upbeat, slow-paced, and harmonizing tracks – really blew me off my feet. They were much, much better than I ever expected them to be.
One of the highlights of Graffiti6 performing was when they sang a song – Stone in my Heart – off their new EP, Free, out October 11th. The song had a beautiful three part harmony with lyrics to match that made me want to melt. Their voices just fit, and it was perfect listening to them live. Other amazing songs (which you can download as stripped versions, almost like the performed versions) included: Free, Annie You Save Me, and Stone in My Heart. I kid you not, I will be the first to download these songs the second they come out
After Graffiti6, I had a hard time believing Oh Land could match them. There is just no way, I remember telling myself.
But Oh Land did indeed knock me off my feet. With what is an entirely different style of music – more electronic with strong vocals, less acoustic and stripped – Oh Land owned the stage with her rhythmic, energetic and interpretive dancing and soulful voice. I tend to be critical of live performances (any vocal flaw and the show is ruined for me), so when I say Oh Land’s voice is filled with passion and has that tint of rustic edge you don’t usually except from semi-electronic music, what I mean to say is that she blew me away.
When Oh Land sang Heavy Eyes, one of the first songs she’d ever written, I nearly fell over. I don’t always love electronic music, but all I’ve been listening to since I left BU Central is Oh Land. I’ve fallen in love with White Nights, which she sang beautifully (and better) live.
She left the stage and was called back for an encore the second she was gone. Her encore of three songs was perfect, as was her entire performance. She tore the balloons behind her from the wall and threw them into the audience. Then she lead some people dancing onstage and the last song of the night became a giant dance party. An amazing night became beyond amazing, and anyone who missed it really did miss out.
–Samantha Tatro