Tori Amos brought her ‘In Times Of Dragons’ Tour to London
The musician took to the Royal Albert Hall stage.
Photo: Madeleine Wrigley
Tori Amos’ In Times of Dragons Tour is a spiritual expedition of eclectic sonic expression. Brash drums, dainty piano, augmented BVs; this show has no fear of genre hopping.
Playing at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Amos tells her fans stories of a young Tori dreaming of singing in this timeless venue, which has previously hosted many iconic musical pioneers. This return marks her tenth visit to the Royal Albert Hall, a full-circle moment for the acclaimed and eccentric artist.
Trust The Source is how Amos explains her journey to fame and recognition. These words don’t come as a surprise, as her musical discography is an extension of this spiritual turn of phrase, indicative of an intangible force. Songs like Lieee and Crucify are performed with this same otherworldly spirit behind them. With Amos sat centre stage, sandwiched between a keyboard and a piano, she plays her way through the set with an air of vocal spontaneity.
Perhaps it is the older crowd that the Amos fanbase lends itself to, or maybe the hypnotic melodic patterning; nonetheless, the crowd were not overpopulated with phones attempting to capture the moment. Amos’ musical depth was felt through first-hand engagement by audience members, and it didn’t involve watching it through the lens of a camera. Though it is sad to relay the rarity of this, the collective experience as a whole was humane, exquisite even, and noticeably different to other concerts where the camera app sees the artist more than you do.
Stronger Together is a particularly emotionally moving new track from In Times Of Dragons. It touches on the bond of a mother-daughter relationship, with lyrics like “And we could / And we did / Now that you’re a woman / Now that I’m a woman”.
Much of Amos’ music speaks of the darkness and the depths of the female experience. This song is no exception to finding the light in ‘menacing’ and ‘diabolical times’ for women. Personal growth and bravery are poured out in lyrics, “Why do I crucify myself?” in Crucify. This religious language of self-punishment matches a level of spiritual sacrifice and commitment seen across her discography.
Crucifixion at the extremity of self-infliction is also met in the song Shush in the lyrics “Am I just meat?”, when describing living in the patriarchy. Amos digs out these shadows of a woman’s psyche and uses intense language to speak for many.
Amos’ Black-Dove (January) deepens her eerie catharsis. The use of the full band alongside the main event vocal line that repeats leads listeners right into the woods Amos sings of. Her relaying these three words over and over is reminiscent of a hypnotic spell. Much of this concert feels like a spell transporting those watching to a world of metaphors and neopaganism, off-beat to the road most obvious to travel on. Amos carves her own path within music, and her acquired palette of expression goes beyond the realms of genre division and simple chord progressions.
All photos by Madeleine Wrigley from the Manchester show.
