About Me Blogs Articles Disclaimer News ReviewsText Box: Thalia Zedek– Corsica Studios, Elephant & Castle, London (5/10/08) Musical nomad Thalia Zedek brings her new album tour to London, yet probably wishes she’d chosen a better scene for her work... The Massachusetts-born songstress is in the UK on her ‘Liars and Prayers’ new album tour and seems to have developed quite the underground following. Zedek’s band combines emotive and melancholic lyrics reminiscent of Nick Cave with pounding electric guitars, drumbeats and edgy viola. That is of course when she has a venue with an adequate acoustic setup. The backstreet art college of Corsica Studios looks more like an illegal warehouse than a music venue though it did seem to have that industrial charm of the likes of Brick Lane about it. Zedek won’t have such an affinity with it after Sunday night’s performance. Opening at 7:30 with two other bands on the bill didn’t seem to pose too much of a threat to the smooth running, even if it was being done by art students. But by 21:45 rhythm-led support band Alexander Tucker were still shattering the window panes. Zedek didn’t get near the stage until 22:00 and obviously didn’t have time to sound-check before finally accepting her fate 25 minutes later. By the time she had launched into ‘Stars’ it was clear that the setup wasn’t going to be able to handle it with feedback and sound deficiencies a regular fixture. Zedek herself seemed affected by the situation and seemed to miss key during song two. Atmospheric number ‘Do You Remember?’ followed- her husky, haunting voice complimenting an eerie viola, played superbly by David Curry. Approximately thirty people looked on as the band’s heavy Southern style gradually filled the room, though if you couldn’t see the pianist, you never would have known from the distortion. Thalia’s ten song showcase of the new album was briefly paused at song six to individually introduce the rest of the band which was a nice touch, along with some brief anecdotes including one about the voyages of Captain Cook to introduce ‘Hell is for Hello’. This was probably the best of the night combining her prominent vocals with the viola accompaniment- a moving and emotional performance before launching into a mass noise epic to finish. Zedek’s voice just seemed to encapsulate the pain she sang of wonderfully. Zedek also played ‘Body Memory’ and ‘Next Exit’ from the new record in heartily-constructed songs averaging at least six minutes each. A special note should go to new drummer Daniel Coughlin who will have needed an ice bath after that performance. Zedek’s frustration at the venue’s shortcomings was documented in a thinly-veiled address at the end where she also treated what was left of the audience to a one song encore. From what can be gathered of their performance, Thalia is a talented songwriter with a unique musical composition but was not really able to relax because of the sound difficulties. Sometimes an inadequate setup can make all the difference and it certainly did in this case. 3/10 CM Text Box: Music