Monsters of the world must have been chomping at the bit yesterday. For it was the day that their leader, one Lady Gaga, gave them their first taste of fresh material from her up-and-coming third album, ARTPOP. Choosing the 2013 iTunes Festival- which was hosted at London's Roundhouse- to launch the project, the singer showcased seven of these brand spanking new songs live for the first time.
I was most excited about hearing the album's title track, and what a surprise it turned out to be. I was anticipating an up-tempo, pop banger, not the mid-tempo, laid back electo-groove Gaga came with. I'm not sure the live performance did the actual version justice- I think this is going to be one of those songs that sounds best mastered- but I liked how it tipped its hat to the darker 80's sound of last album Born This Way.
In fact, watching the whole show, it seems Gaga has retained a lot of influences from the last era, which is surprisingly brave of her. Most of us were expected a retreat back into the safer pop territory of her début, but these live performances show Gaga has ventured further into the rock and 80s electro of Born This Way. I think it could ultimately work for her, but only as long as she keeps away from that soapbox .
The whole set was fun to watch and it successfully upped my anticipation for the album.Yes, Gaga's voice wasn't pristine and there was an air of looseness about the whole thing; but since it was the first time she's performed these songs a little slack has to be given. What was annoying though, was the sycophantic fans. Prepare yourself for them before you start watching- you might want to keep a paracetamol nearby- because they get as annoying as f*ck by video three.
Other than that, enjoy.
