Marina and the Diamonds: 9 September 2010 – Chicago

Marina and the Diamonds has already amassed quite a bit of a following, having performed at most of the major European festivals, and even gaining the interest of Kanye West, however, she has not had a proper US tour until recently. The 24-year-old starlet is finally bringing her emotionally charged pop over to our shores, recently having made a stop at the Lincoln Hall in Chicago.

Marina’s setlist consisted of a complete set of songs from her The Family Jewels album, with the exception of “Hermit the Frog”, which she swapped out for “Seventeen”, a song that is found on the US version of the album. Halfway through the set, Marina took over the keyboards for Numb and Obsessions, songs that really transform into being even more powerful and haunting when performed live. Marina’s vocals transition perfectly from the recorded versions to their live renditions, exemplifying her unique and gripping voice.

Towards the end of the set Marina managed to fit in an outfit change, switching from her black crushed velvet dress to the typical cheerleader uniform, holding plush hamburgers before starting off “Hollywood”. For her encore, she surprised the crowd with a cover of 3OH!3’s “Starstrukk”, which with her singing style puts a completely different take on the song altogether, and had finished off the set with “Mowgli’s Song”.

With such a refreshing voice and superb live performance, Marina is certainly more than welcome back around these parts. With the success she has so far gathered overseas, I don’t think her return will turn out to be too much of an issue.