大象传媒

Entering an already-packed Empire we find Ben Christophers singing. Possessing an androgynous voice that is more palatable than that of Antony-of-the-Johnsons, he sings earnestly of "setting controls for the heart of the sun" with each word being placed very precisely in the song and enunciated in just the right manner. He strums his guitar and seems oblivious to the constantly chattering audience, the only crack in his veneer showing when he turns to the laptop for his final song, the blips and bloops being created seemingly at odds with his serious demeanour. For someone activating cartoonish noises with a foot pedal, a sense of humour is required.

Geese are made up of a viola, a violin and a drummer who has a drum kit, but doesn't seem to use it, preferring to tap on anything and everything in his way. The trio create soundscapes rather than tunes, focusing intently on the sounds they are creating, and breathing into their plug-in mics to add to the wasteland of sounds. They create a spell of what seems like almost Scandinavian minimalist vistas, a spell which is broken when the announcement that they have CDs for sale is made in the prettiest English accent.

The audience come prepared to love Imogen Heap, and she makes it easy for them. She tells us that her playlist is specially tailored for the people of Belfast, containing the top twelve songs that were voted for by them, as well as a bucketload of new album material which really seems to step off the page in a live setting and prove its worth. Taking the role of schoolteacher she introduces her "toys"; her ultra-portable samplers worn on her wrists, songs created by sampling birdsong, wine glasses and the glammest of all: the keytar. She shows us how she gradually builds up samples to create a song, overlaying vocals on top. The whole thing is like a charmingly larger-than-life episode of How 2, made all the more accessible by Heap's nutty professor persona, muttering to herself in a manner usually reserved for early mornings and wondering where you've left the car keys. The audience is left feeling that this songwriting lark is not so tough whilst being simultaneously blown away by the talent on display, talent which is showcased most obviously when she separates this Belfast audience into three part harmonies for 茂驴陆Just For Now' while she sings acapella on top, managing a difficult time signature and keeping the audience right on cue with hand gestures that aren't frantic, simply encouraging.

Heap wears a mic instead of standing at one, a decision which gives her the freedom to flit from glass piano to keyboard to shaker. She sometimes simply comes to the front of the stage to sing to us, which seems oddly confrontational until you realise she is just filled with so much excess energy that she cannot sit still. The vocals are incredibly clear and when she complains towards the end of the two-hour set that she is beginning to lose her voice you can hear it, but you don't mind as she has given the entire set her all. You get the impression the audience is holding its breath, willing her voice to hold for the final song 茂驴陆Hide and Seek' and it mostly does.

For her first Belfast gig, it's one heck of a first impression.

Elizabeth McGeown