sat 23/11/2024

King Creosote & Jon Hopkins, Queen Elizabeth Hall | reviews, news & interviews

King Creosote & Jon Hopkins, Queen Elizabeth Hall

King Creosote & Jon Hopkins, Queen Elizabeth Hall

Surprise folk/electronica collaboration shows there's plenty more life in their formula

Creosote and Hopkins: giving voices to everyday lives

There are some acts you’d rather not catch in a concert hall. The relatively recent pairing of King Creosote and Jon Hopkins isn’t, however, one of them. Diamond Mine, their seven-year project, is a deceptively serious piece of art that prefers to be listened to closely and without distraction. It may have been one of the more obscure nominees at this year’s Mercury Prize, but that recognition has resulted in an album that could easily have slipped quietly by, gaining fans fast. And last night those fans found themselves immersed in Diamond Mine’s meditative soundscapes whilst, on stage, one eccentric and one prodigy gave a masterful demonstration of the benefits of perseverance.

There are some acts you’d rather not catch in a concert hall. The relatively recent pairing of King Creosote and Jon Hopkins isn’t, however, one of them. Diamond Mine, their seven-year project, is a deceptively serious piece of art that prefers to be listened to closely and without distraction. It may have been one of the more obscure nominees at this year’s Mercury Prize, but that recognition has resulted in an album that could easily have slipped quietly by, gaining fans fast. And last night those fans found themselves immersed in Diamond Mine’s meditative soundscapes whilst, on stage, one eccentric and one prodigy gave a masterful demonstration of the benefits of perseverance.

Both gentle and desperate, it captured the longings and sorrows of everyday lives in a way that can reduce you to tears

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My God, what an extraordinarily beautiful video that is. Thanks for posting this, will have to get the album now.

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