SHOW REVIEW: Marina Herlop @ 2220 Arts + Archives
Marina Herlop
Me, my date, and Marina Herlop
The dreaded first date usually gets treated like a hostage trade-off: located in a very public place, lots of witnesses, and easy-to-get-to exits just in case it blows up in your face. Great options include a no-risk dinner and a movie or maybe a cordial stroll through a museum–even a picnic in the park sounds like a safe choice. You wouldn’t expect to see a Marina Herlop concert at the top of a first date list, but it was first on mine.
Dressed in a floor-length black, cut-out gown and with her hair up in a style that can only be described as a mega-bun, Marina Herlop looked out-worldly, something which made my date almost uncontrollably yell, “I LOVE YOUR OUTFIT” in a quiet, 40-person venue. She began her concert with a new song, “Karada,” from her upcoming fourth studio album Nekkuja, releasing October 27. Instantly, the crowd became enthralled by her hypnotic performance as she seamlessly transitioned between songs like “Miu” and “Abans Abans,” both from her last album, and my personal favorite, Pripyat. So hypnotic, in fact, that it propelled my date to attempt to make out with me just ten feet from Marina. Just a tad bit embarrassed, I found myself swatting away my date’s lips throughout the concert so I could pay attention to Herlop pounding an electronic drum pad to trigger electronically modified soundbites of her voice.
As Marina Herlop continued singing in only a way that can be described as intelligibly whimsical and dulcet, my date was showing visible signs that the $12, 8oz cup of wine I treated them to was getting to their head. Herlop was alternating from drum pad, to keyboard, to a board of knobs and buttons while my date was whooping and hollering—a little too much—in excitement. She showed her expertise in traditional musical composition through her experimental redefinition of the genre itself.
Overall, seeing Marina Herlop in concert at 2220 Arts + Archives was a phenomenal musical experience. Her ability to make music sound unlike anything else that is out there—or at least on Earth—is beyond admirable to someone like me who enjoys unconventional music. And overall, my date wasn’t thatbad. Bad first dates are bound to happen; I just had fun with everything but the date part. Marina Herlop will always be the artist I’m most excited to show someone who hasn’t heard of her before. I just wished I went alone.
- lagoslovebomb AKA Michael Lagos