FLORENCE IN FLOWERS, Cracow 10.08.2013

Flo – Fascinating Lovely Object gave a unique and unusual concert in Cracow, one summer Saturday. I won't forget being there! As well as other 40 000 people, all ages, not only Polish, male and female – true fans what we proved by singing along every song...

Florence became FLOWERence after she was surprised by Polish Fanclub action spread via Facebook: lots of participants wore wreaths on their hair and when the vocalist ran from the stage to the audience she collected many of them. Going back to the microphone she willingly used the garlands to decorate herself and the stand... That was touching and impressive, exactly like her reaction some minutes later – while Florence was singing What the Water Gave Me first row of fans unfolded banner ‘What Florence Gave Me?’ and hundreds of people raised up slogans answering that question...

We learnt that this beautiful and phenomenal British singer is not ‘stiff upper lip’ at all but very emotional, rather spontaneous and even impulsive. Some hours before, at the backstage, she and the whole Machine met young Poles who had started the Fanclub and got a very extraordinary present from them – a bag of glitter. Flo didn’t resist using that during whole concert – on her skin, rest of her band or nearest spectators... Unfortunately I wasn’t close enough but somehow after the concert, emerging from the mass of audience I did catch a grain of this ‘stardust’ on my clothes:). 

18 days after the gig FLOWrence celebrated her birthday and from Polish fans she received this enormous poster – I really appreciate imagination, organisational skills and creativity of young organizers responsible for the event:

 

What Florence and the Machine gave me? Well, I'd say mental freedom when I hear Shake It Out and feeling of psychic unity with my best friend while sharing emotions, admiration, ecstasy coming to us with that music...

In Galaxy of the Lost I wish you Cosmic Love, which gives you Breath of Life Between Two Lungs, All This and Heaven Too... I wish you Bird Song about Bedroom Hymns... I wish you Gravity of Love so Heavy in Your Arms, that Never Lets You Go... I wish you Lover to Lover in No Light at night... I wish you Addiction to Love in Your Best Dress, Pearls and Roses...I wish you Falling and Swimming and Howl...

THE VOICE OF COLOURS

In 2012 I was particularly fascinated by three songs which were released independently to each other yet according to me they have something in common: truly artistic videoclips connected with body painting on vision. When I realized that, I conducted a small 'experiment': watched them all one by one with no sound, trying to forget the lyrics. They say "A picture is worth a thousand words" so what exactly did I see?

Symbolic Polica – in searching of its sense I imagined four elements dancing around the old lady: alight air, fascinating fire, solid soil, wild water. Another words sources of our nature, human and animal shapes in one being... Also the visualisation of fact that every meeting leaves a trace - outside, inside... The most mysterious moment to me is this 'star circle' of girls in white costumes. Perhaps they symbolize innocent life, getting more and more colours of existence, until black death comes? They are mixing, exchanging, united in one dance, making the same yet different movements on and on... The video is touching and impressive, I'm not ashamed to admit it makes my eyes wet and gives me shiver-fever – that eventual esthetic thrill...

Sad story of Gotye and Kimbra – starts with dull, pale colours; geometrical shapes, sharp lines. The only strong colour – green – seems to be connected with a woman; the way they stand suggests total lack of communication; at the end she clears herself of any paint and goes away. Maybe she gives up on hope... As for him wearing colours of the background in a cameleon way is safe but also imprisoning, according to me it makes him stiff, not flexible, so closed in his sadness, so impenetrable to her point of view... And somehow the way they stand: man en face, woman side-face, corresponds with that facebook’s drawing, which I found thanks to Kasia J., a teacher of German:

Conclusion: at some point male-female communication is not only impossible, but also impracticable and unbelievable... You just have to give it up...

Dancing with colours – are they antagonists or counterparts? I don’t like the idea that love is continuous fight full of frustration but they both seem to be equal in this struggle and that's what appeals to me. The man is like chiseled, I do agree, but somehow mostly P!nk attracts my attention: she seems to be ready for rivalry, then down to her feet, then up in a 'champion pose'... Kind of sporty behaviour? But is it a fair play or rather a dirty dance? Still, all the time they stay close to each other and exchange body colours - that appears optimistic... Although if they were a true couple in a real relationship, I would advise them non-violent communication training;)

All in all I simply love these videos. People, who created them, firmly succeeded in harmonious combination of lyrics, tunes, movements and colours. I wish that to be a new trend in show business! I wish to see more and more clips following this path of creative expression. I hope I will:)

THEY GOT TALENT!

This morning our students have taken part in 10^th Regional Festival of Young Talents – the number means it started being organized before all these ‘Got talent’ shows! And in 2002 nobody heard of YouTube – do we even remember the world without YT?? Hardly so...

Back to the festival: ‘The Petrycy Band’ played one Polish song (Kiss Me) then one in English (Highway to Hell) and one vocalist succeeded. But as for whole bands jury preferred lighter repertoire, not so rocky or metallic... Thinking that de gustibus non est disputandum I’ve come back home, connected the net and (as on every other day since February) played ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ by Gotye and Kimbra. Sudden shock hit me as I realized that never before shared I my music taste with millions! For weeks and weeks Adele plus Gotye & Kimbra stay on top of charts almost everywhere with their thrilling lyrics, unusual tunes and maximally magical videos. I totally admire living at this point in time and space than living in times when L.Gaga or other J.Lo held first positions; hard to listen to and even worse to watch. As my scoutmate once said: “Plenty of popular music videos look like promotion of escort agency”. Yuk!

So, is it a change for better in global culture (cool-ture;) or just one insigificant incident that such artistic, metaphoric and sophisticated records beat all the ‘madonas’ with their nakedness? Should it be a hint to our young musicians and singers or not?

Finally, I don’t understand why so many internauts try to pay compliments to Kimbra commenting that she sings exactly like Katy Perry. But she doesn’t – she’s got her own, original, smooth but strong voice with soft south accent and I love it!