Review: Nils Frahm at Albert Hall

Image: Albert Hall

Nils Frahm has grown to be one of the most popular artists on the classical/electronic crossover circuit. He last played in Manchester at the Royal Northern College of Music in December, and returned this time to an eager Albert Hall crowd.

Support came from Erased Tapes label mates Dawn of MIDI, a trio from Brooklyn. With double bass, piano and a pared back drum kit, they looked like a standard jazz combo at first sight. What followed however was 50 minutes of beguiling, hypnotic minimalism that had more in common with post-rock and techno than jazz.

It started with the bassist playing a two note riff, the pianist playing a syncopated pulse, damping the strings by hand to create a plucked tone. The drums came through playing de-constructed rhythms, slowly evolving the beat to show the other parts in new aspects. 

Gradually the parts changed, one after another, evolving the piece while sticking to the same sparsest of elements. And so it went on continuously for the entire set, with no clear marker between pieces, each new part seamlessly blended into another.

The building and repetition gave a mournful, foreboding vibe, with a tension in the sound that is found in the very best Richie Hawtin or Surgeon style techno. And while the minimal aspect struggled to keep some of the crowd’s attention at times, others were enraptured (by DAWN of Midi who appear below).

Nils Frahm appeared to a fantastic reception. Starting with a simple piano vignette, he soon moved over to the mellotron and organ, playing a composition reminiscent of a vintage Vangelis sound.

As the sun set, the light from the stained glass of the venue was replaced by the pared back stage lighting, and Nils moved seamlessly onto the Juno synthesiser. Bringing in a sparse and thunderous drum beat, the piece evolved into a slowly rolling techno epic. It was an incredible start to the set, greeted passionately by the crowd. 

And so it continued. The set was programmed perfectly, with a slow mournful ballad followed by an old favourite. The composer seemed to have gone on a commissioning spree, with a MIDI-controlled bespoke wooden organ, and a pared back piano, designed from the ground up, that had its strings exposed to be plucked by hand. 

He moved between the instruments and his mixing desk, switching between parts, adding tape delay and bringing in parts on the fly, with everything performed live, and read off the crowd. He seemed genuinely moved by the rapturous response, the crowd were noticeably more boisterous (if no less enthusiastic) than the Royal Northern College Of Music crowd that greeted him in December.

At one point someone from the balcony shouted “You’ve got the Skills, Nils!” The composer responded by putting a bit of extra 'oomph' into his old favourites like 'Hammers' (performed below), while changing the arrangements subtly to keep energy levels high.

Nils came across as affable and down to earth with his on stage banter, talking about how Glasgow audiences scare him with their encore chants, and complimented us as a nation of music lovers. He charmed an already overwhelmingly positive crowd, but it was the music that brought us to standing ovations. 

David Byrne spoke about the link between music and architecture, and how certain types of music are designed to be heard in certain environments. So the Ramones sound best at CBGBs but don’t work at Carnegie Music Hall, just as opera doesn’t really work on small stages.

For a musician such as Nils Frahm, who plays in such varying environments as concert halls and festival stages, it is testament to him that he appears at home in each one, subtly changing his approach to match. In Manchester’s Albert Hall he truly appears to have found his perfect venue, with the blend of grandeur and party spirit. 

In what has been a great year for live music in Manchester, this show was an absolute highlight.

Follow Alan Wragg on Twitter: @tacetmusic