Alison Goldfrapp at Here at Outernet

Alison Goldfrapp played her first ever solo show at London’s Here at Outernet yesterday night. Fresh from the release of her first album as a solo act, The Love Invention, she played a one-off special performance at London’s new live music venue. An excellent location: for the opening with Hotel (Suite 23) a big screen in the background and three dancers introduced us to the scene while Alison elegantly ascended the stairs in a disco diva outfit, coming from another era.

Her soft and gentle voice permeated the concert, giving viewers a feeling of being in a dreamy place, a bit different from her previous live show with her group, Goldfrapp – a little less operatic. Perhaps the start of the show with a few small technical errors and a less energetic beginning than her historical performances with the band made her seem more vulnerable than we are used to, but also made her more human.

The first six songs paved the way to introduce Number One, which was very well received, especially by longtime fans who never fail to love the songs that cemented Goldfrapp’s legacy. Impossible started the highlights of the night with a very strong electronic bass; Anymore, Strict Machine and Gatto Gelato kept us all disco vibing and jumping around.

Goldfrapp closed the first part of the show before the encore, bringing a great classic perfectly fitting with the vibe of the evening: Rocket. She shared: “I was surprised that so many people asked me for it and I wasn’t sure if I was gonna play it, but I will do it anyway” – and, immediately, a very enthusiastic chant followed from the fans, who happily sang along with her and danced all the way through.

After five minutes of waiting, Goldfrapp returned for the encore, with a beautiful change of outfit in the form a skintight suit, all silver glitter, and a floor-length cape. The disco climax had arrived. Perhaps Train could have been a good addendum to the final part, but the newly released Fever got everybody hooked on the music and dancing.

A lovely moment to end the show came when a fan gave the artist flowers on-stage, and one could sense the gratitude and surprise in her eyes. Goldfrapp has a great fanbase, who showed her all the love. Despite being her first ever solo gig, she was able to deliver and she left everyone wanting more. Here’s to her performance at Glastonbury 2023 and a long and lasting solo career.

Laura Bit
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events visit Alison Goldfrapp’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Love Invention here: