iamthemorning – Patronaat, Haarlem; November 18th, 2016
Ever since being given their first album by Masha on a long ago Árstíðir tour, and even more so after seeing Marjana perform in Sankt Petersburg once, I had wanted to see iamthemorning live. When they announced a tour in the Netherlands with one Friday gig I saw this as a sign to take the chance and go. Thus, I found myself outside Partonaat in Haarlem on a rainy Friday evening, waiting for the doors to open, chatting with two guys who also braved the weather. By the time they did let us in, P., A. and a few more people had arrived and I had already spotted Karl inside. We were all surprised to find they were playing at the cafe instead of the big venue. Inside I met the guy I had last seen at Árstíðir’s Milton Keynes gig (sorry, forgot your name) and he told me a bit about touring with iamthemorning and the previous concerts. Apparently they had not all been full band, but this one was with Karl as well as Guillaume guesting. 🙂
The cafe was cozy and nicely filled by the time they started. Everything was decorated with lights, flowers (the mic stand) and Marjana’s signature paper cranes. In the background they had a screen to show a movie of landscapes and lighthouses. They started with ‘Inside’ from their first album and I immediately loved the beautiful but sad/ melancholic music. Early on Marjana warned us not to expect anything nice or happy. “We don’t do love songs either” so we knew what we were in for. Strangely enough the somewhat depressing songs put smiles on many faces. I had not listened to any of their albums in a while and didn’t recognize any of the songs, but enjoyed them nonetheless.
Contrasting with the sad music was the fun banter in-between. Marjana often jokes that she spends a lot of time trying to look dramatic on stage or in pictures, but she never takes herself too seriously and despite all (fitting) dramatic gestures it was clear she was having fun. 🙂 She and the band sounded amazing, unexpectedly good for such a small space. I loved listening and I loved watching her too, sometimes dancing across stage, sometimes standing still or even sitting down on the floor listening to Gleb play piano.
Not only are the songs not romantic, they are about heavy topics too like multiple personality, Electro Convulsive Therapy (Chalk & Coal) or burning down houses (Matches). Amused, Marjana told us tat this one always seems to get the best reactions in the Netherlands. It was strange for me not to be able to sing along and only to listen for a change, but I found it very enjoyable nonetheless. The music is well crafted and carried me through the evening.
The on-stage banter was fun too. The bassist and drummer came from a band called ‘Stark’ which lead Marjana to noting that “apparently Winter is coming”. About Guillaume and Karl she said tat she stole them from Árstíðir and noted how amazing they are, “but not as amazing as before I stole their string players.” 😉 It’s not like she’s keeping them. 😀 All in all it was a good night with songs well chosen and an attentive audience. We did not want to let them go in the end and got one encore. The setlist had one more song listed, but this was it. I’m not complaining though, I was happy with what I got.
Afterwards I chatted with Karl a little, said hello to Marjana and eventually gave up waiting for Guillaume. there will be hugs next time. 🙂 P., A. and I made our way to their car, driving to their place where I spent the night. We all agreed the concert had been worth the trip. 🙂
Setlist:
Inside
Scotland
To Human Misery
Romance
Beautiful Songs
I b. too
5/4
Sleeping Pills
Libretto Horror
Crowded Corridors
Matches
Chalk & Coal
K.O.S.
Sing to me