Bjork has the wow factor

Bjork Biophilia - Manchester International Festival
THE MANCHESTER International Festival loves a world premiere. From Damon Albarn’s ‘Monkey: Journey to the West’ at the festival’s launch in 2007 to Rufus Wainwright’s opera Prima Donna in 2009, there is always a stand-out show among the varied line-up.

Just one day into this year’s arts fest and the wow factor has already arrived thanks to Bjork’s dazzling performance of her new album Biophilia.

Held in a darkened hanger owned by Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry, the intimate performance to only 1,800 people is her first UK gig for over three years.

And it is worth the wait as the mix of new songs, multi-media, specially-created instruments, an all-female Icelandic choir and her trademark vocals results in a blistering two-hour show.

Each track on the album explores different themes including science and nature, human beings and the cosmos. But in this production what the audience sees is just as important as what they hear.

In ‘Thunderbolt’, a machine drops from the ceiling that creates electricity which sparks in time with the beat.

A pendulum harp with four independently-swinging arms creates beautiful delicate notes despite its heavy, mechanical structure.

The 24-strong choir, whose lush sweeping sounds complement Bjork’s vocals, move freely around the stage, one minute rocking out mid song before breaking away the next to crouch in small clusters.

Throw in eight giant screens showing graphics high above the stage, as well as musicians playing synthesised drums and laptops, and it would be easy for a lesser performer to get lost with so much going on.

But Bjork is easily the star of the show. The petite Icelander takes to the stage in the round wearing a sparkling blue dress and ginger afro wig. Her voice is as strong and as recognisable as ever, switching effortlessly from hushed vocals to throaty growls and playing with traditional song structure chords.

Her new single ‘Crystalline’ is a mix of pop and drum and bass, and is greeted with cheers from the clued-up crowd.

Other tracks ‘Dark Matter’ and ‘Cosmology’ are both unnerving and haunting, and she even manages to sing about tectonic plates.

But there are also a few Bjork classics such as ‘Isobel’ to keep her life-long fans happy.

In the encore, she delivers a beautiful acoustic version of ‘One Day’ along with her percussionist Manu Delago playing what looks like an inverted steel pan.

The night ends with a rave inspired ‘Declare Independence’ where she invites the audience to sing along – and they do without hesitation. Catch the show while you can.