Live Performance Review: Grimes, Tuesday 28.08.2012 19:00, Liquid Room, Edinburgh

Grimes is the name used by Claire Boucher for all of her creative works. She moved from Vancouver to Montreal in 2006 and since 2010, she has been releasing work as Grimes. This is a lady who's music I have been listening to since March. She is someone I was curious about from how she looked and what I read of interviews with her. I sought out her first album 'Geidi Primes', which is quite experimental though good. Her new album 'Visions' , which is released outside of the north american continent on 4AD, I would regard as some of the best electronica I've ever heard, and the best album of the year to date.

I saw her perform at the tiny Berkeley Suite in Glasgow in early May 2012. The set was slightly curtailed due to technical problems, though I greatly enjoyed what I had seen. There were notices that night about the date at the Liquid Room in Edinburgh, so I got my ticket the following day.

There were two supports neither of which I felt were any good, and I was not able to catch their names either. Grimes was again quite something to watch. To consider that essentially what she is doing is standing at a desk controlling machines to release sounds at certain times and accompanying this with vocals, it is something that could be quite dull to watch; though if it is Grimes doing this, it is anything but dull. She performs with such enthusiasm and concentration, that she makes herself quite captivating. There is defining applause after the song 'Genesis', to which she giggles in an embarrassed way. The set is a good mix of songs from the most recent album, and other tracks she has been involved in.

Sadly there was difficulties with her microphone which was cutting out. The force at which she would attack the equipment to try to sort it out, I found quite endearing. The microphone only got replaced before the last song, it would have been good if this could have been done earlier. Saying this, the microphone problems did not greatly affect my enjoyment, nor did it appear to for others.

As long as she continues to produce music of the quality she is presently, I would happily return to see her again, though hopefully there will not be any glitches in future.

Rating: 08/10. (would have been more, were it not for the glitches).