It seems to be the season for charity gigs at the moment. Hot on the heels of David Arnold's Concert for CARE and Gary Barlow's Children In Need extravaganza at the Royal Albert Hall comes Jo Whileys' annual series of concerts in aid of Mencap. What gives these 'Little Noise Sessions' an edge is the venue in which they take place. The Union Chapel is, as the name suggests, a church in Islington. It's quite square, has an upstairs balcony and amazing acoustics. The little noise element comes in to play as the acts all have to play unplugged.
Jo Whiley, as befitting her reputation as a champion of new music, always makes sure that there is some new talent on show as well as the big name draws (also known as 'bulking out the bill'). Tonight we were treated to the 16 year old Daisy Dares You, who was pretty good although I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to see her again (looks like Pixie Geldorf, talks like Birds of a Feather). Next up was Alex Gardner, who for reasons I can't quite fathom is part of the Xenomania stable (which includes Girls Aloud and Mini Viva). Maybe his usual sets are a bit more poppy but at the Union Chapel he came across as more of a traditional singer-songwriter, albeit accompanied by a band. He sounded pretty good to me but that's quite a crowded spot he's aiming for.
Due next to the stage was Paloma Faith, who I didn't know much about but was very intrigued to hear. Unfortunately she pulled out late on as she had apparently lost her voice, which left us with half an hour to get a cup of hot chocolate and take it back to our pew (yes really!!).
At this point you begin to wonder if the £44 (inc. booking fee) you paid for the ticket still seems like a good idea. Unlike last year, several of the Little Noise sessions haven't sold out, and I can only put that down to the relatively high cost of the ticket - yes, it's for charity but £44 is a lot of money, especially if the second biggest name on the bill doesn't turn up.
However all was not lost as it was the quire frankly astonishing MIKA who was headlining the bill. He chose to open with his biggest hit to date, in a move that was either brave or foolhardy. As it turned out it was neither but actually a stroke of full on, certified brilliance. Performing with Mika for the whole evening were a male vocal group called the King's Singers, who are an incredibly accomplished group (check out their website here) and sound like a cross between a clear-as-a-bell pipe organ and a barber shop quartet. In a good way.
Anyway, for the first half of Grace Kelly, Mika and the singers performed a capella building the mood and the tension until the res of the band kicked in. It sounded so fresh and full of life, which I think is the best description of Mika I could possibly make. He, the singers and the band performed a lovely unique set that move me seemlessly from goosebumps to dancing and back again. Mika's voice is fantastic and worked really well with the precision of the King's Singers, who incidently looked like they were having a great time. They gave special treatments to all of Mika's hits, including the new single Rain, Big Girls, Relax and We Are Golden, including an encore with the band on dustbin drums.
Mika's gigs seem to have a habit of leaving you feeling fantastic and this one was extra special, with the venue and the set up making the sound just that little more incredible. Somehow the £44 now feels like a pretty good deal.
Mika's second album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much, is out now
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