Internationally acclaimed folk singer, songwriter and harpist Joanna Newsom has given her first TV performance off the back of new album Divers, performing Leaving The City on BBC’s Later…With Jools Holland.
Sitting alone on a pitch black stage with her harp, Newsom gracefully plucked her way through a haunting solo rendition of the song. which had the entire audience holding their breath for the duration of the performance. Watch below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSSaEz8XyCo
Newsom is no stranger to the program, having appeared several times throughout with her trusty harp to perform various cuts from her back catalogue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XMJl-HCO7A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGViUabMt14
Her latest performance however, is sure to be one of her most talked about, with Divers receiving critical acclaim, and massive online attention.
Newsom was just one feature of an eventful night for the program, which featured other performances by CeeLo Green and Shura among others.
Newsom’s performance comes in the middle of her European tour that includes a date and the Apollo in London on Monday November the 9th. Newsom will then close out the year with a string of American dates before coming to Australian shores in January next year which will see her play some of the country’s most esteemed concert halls.
Tuesday 19th January- Harmer Hall, Arts Centre, Melbourne
Thursday 21st January- Sydney Opera House, Sydney
Saturday 23rd January- QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane
Words by Dalton Woods
On the back of her fourth studio album’s release, Joanna Newsom has announced plans to play in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney next year.
Divers, which was officially released today after half a decade in the making, sees the return of Newsom’s chirping and wailing on top of pretty and intricate instrumentals.
On Newsom’s fifth tour of Australia, she will perform at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall on January 19, the Sydney Opera House on January 21, and Queensland’s Performing Arts Centre on 23 January.
The Opera House concert hall performance is a part of the 2016 Sydney Festival, which also includes psychedelic rockers The Flaming Lips and Australia’s greatest jam band The Dirty Three.
Newsom’s new release sees a slight tweak on the delicate orchestral arrangements heard on Ys and Have One on Me. Employing a wider range of instruments, including a variety of keyboards and synths, Newsom crafts a more atmospheric and varied work – her harp still features prominently, of course.
The 33-year-old described her approach to composing Divers, emphasising distinct tones for each song: “I also spent a year or two on the instrumental arrangements and overdubs. I wanted the character and colours of the instrumentation to shift definitively, from song to song, which entailed a wide pool of collaborators and a lengthy collaborative process with each person.”
Tickets for all three shows will be available this Monday 26 October at 9am. Tickets and more details to come!
It’s been five years since Joanna Newsom‘s last album, Have One On Me. In that time, the singer/harpist/songwriter/actress has appeared in a number of television series including Portlandia. Most recently, she narrated and appeared in stoner-crime-comedy Inherent Vice (2014). This week however, she’s announced her fourth full length album Divers will be released in October, following up on statements from late last year that she had been working on new music.
Out via Drag City, the album is set to drop on the 23rd and we’ve already got a single (and video!) to go with the announcement. The official video for Sapokanikan matches the vocals perfectly, with a winding five minute clip of Newsom dancing and singing through the streets of New York City. Recorded by Steve Albini and Noah Georgeson, the forthcoming Divers features arrangements from contemporary classical music composer Nico Muhly, Dirty Projectors’ Dave Longstreth, and composer/guitarist Ryan Francesconi. You can take a listen to the lead single Sapokanikan and check out the album art below.
Divers Track Listing:
1. Anecdotes
2. Sapokanikan
3. Leaving the City
4. Goose Eggs
5. Waltz of the 101st Lightborne
6. The Things I Say
7. Divers
8. Same Old Man
9. You Will Not Take My Heart Alive
10 A Pin-Light Bent
11 Time, As a Symptom