James Blake: “Playing Robots Into Heaven” Tour Review and a conversation with the artist

Image Courtesy: X

James Blake brought his “Playing Robots Into Heaven Tour” to the U.S. with his first stop in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday, Oct. 3. Blake not only brought a beautifully crafted new record to share with us at the Coca-Cola Roxy but also an introspective and somewhat spiritual experience for us all to immerse ourselves in. 

As Blake’s fans conversed pre-show, there were whispers of opinions on the new album, questions of what to expect but mostly questions of how the electronic sounds of the new album will fit cohesively into a setlist with Blake’s past songs which he had hinted would be included in the setlist. Thankfully, Blake was able to answer some of these questions for me as I had the opportunity to speak with him after the show. 

Image Courtesy: Sydni Torrero

Fans including myself sounded eager but also free of expectations because of our collective trust in Blake. As soon as the lights reached a subtle darkness with the ethereal glow of the chandeliers above, we entered the heart and soul of the gift Blake would be presenting to us. 

As the first few ambient sounds from Blake’s title track, “Playing Robots Into Heaven” began, he slowly walked across the stage with the infamous, oddly constructed horn-like speaker attached to his back that is significantly larger than himself. Some wonder what exactly this instrument is, but after the heavenly sounds from the title track begin immediately captivating the audience in every feeling, it is safe to say that this is a giant speaker playing his music into the skies. While Blake, his synthesizer and drummer take their seats we hear Blake’s vocals for the first time repeating “Asking To Break,” a track from his new record. Melancholic chords accompany his voice providing a nostalgic feel and nod to Blake’s early work such as “My Willing Heart” a standout track from “The Color In Anything” (2016). Blake begins the set with a song that amalgamates his musical roots with electronic elements setting up a preemptive idea of how he will manage to carry on a cohesive setlist of both earlier Blake sounds, ambient downtempo melodies and pulsating club setting-like beats.

Image Courtesy: EDM Identity

Blake followed up with “I Want You to Know,”  a track with a slower tempo and two-step rhythm. It is the kind of song you want to just fully immerse yourself in without any distracting lights or movement which is exactly what the audience was given. The stage was very dimly lit with only a few beams of light shining on his drummer, synthesizer and Blake while matching each harmonious beat. 

Blake led us through our collective journey with a few piano chords paired with his powerful heartfelt lyrics, “There’s a limit to your love” from one of his classics "Limit” and one of his largest hits “Life Round Here” followed. “Part time love is the life round here, we’re never done… everything feels like touchdown on a rainy day” Blake repeated as the tempo and bass began to speed up in between each time alluding to the latter. Production of heavier bass would be heard through the following tracks consisting of his modular synths. 

While Blake had set an entirely different tone for what would follow with his first single off the new album, a wonky track titled “Big Hammer,” the crowd’s energy shifted with it. “Big Hammer” consists of dancehall and dubstep elements leaving the audience no choice but to get down to it as the energy oscillates. This gave us a glimpse of what we would hear from the change in direction, and how both old and new fans would react to Blake's departure from his previous style of music and songwriting. The crowd’s energy seemed to be infectious; not just among each other, but towards Blake and his other members. During my conversation with Blake, he mentioned each night holds a different energy to which I asked him, “Since some nights are better some are not, what would you say about tonight?” There was no doubt in this response to which he happily replied that it was crazy and he felt it. 

In the following track “Loading,” the band members exchanged looks with each other throughout. With each note and sound, they were noticeably synchronized with the breaks and gradual synth. “Where are my wings? They're loading” Blake sang tying in the heavenly serene-like aspects of his new album in his performance.

Blake kicks off more of the new album with a track titled “Fall Back,’’ a song reminiscent of early CMYK James Blake's days. Blake continued to hold onto the prior formula of synchronization and electrifying energy between the crowd and his other members. As “Fall Back '' repeats on a loop, drummer Ben Assiter catches up to the fast-paced vocals, guitar and dark club-like beats perfectly, similar to a Burial track. This was one of the more nostalgic tracks for me, reminding me of the stronghold that electronic music has in my life. I was entirely immersed in every specific sound and break, allowing my body to move freely to my feelings of overwhelming love and appreciation of each sound’s construction. I didn’t expect the same feelings to arise as the ones that I do while dancing at my favorite electronic clubs back home, so when they did, there was only comfort and reassurance that music is the one thing that will always remain constant in my life; something which I can rely on. 

While the track slowed down slightly in conjunction with the rhythm of my dancing, Blake created a noticeable shift in the mood with the subsequent tracks “Fire the Editor” and an older track “I’ll come too”. Blake’s melancholic vocals and emotionally intimate lyrics allowed for introspection over the previously vibrant rhythms. It was a moment where the crowd could clearly understand Blake’s artistry and his strong ability to tap into his vulnerability while winding down amid his energetic and dynamic album. 

Before Blake continued the set, he stood up and announced that he would be singing a song from the Assume Form era because he loved performing it. “Are you in love? Do your best impression for me” Blake sang. There was no production, no particular tune, it was just Blakes's raw and intimate performance bringing many around me to tears.  I was curious about Blake’s consistency with keeping such healing energy flowing so I asked, “There is no doubt that you bring healing energies to your audience during your live performances. How would you plan on carrying that throughout the rest of your tour?” Blake responded,  “Honestly, it’s weird. That is my job. It feels like my job is more of that, than making songs. That transfer is what I’m there for. On a good note, that happens easily, on other nights I’m too distracted or interfered with, but whenever I’m in Atlanta it goes easily.”

While Blake slows down in moments like these during his show, he allows us as fans to connect on the same level emotionally, while experiencing parts of his unorthodox evolution as an artist and his craft, something very special that you only get to experience so few times. It also seemed to me that he understood the “Heart of Atlanta '' and was able to give us just what we needed wherever we were in our healing journeys. 

The waterworks certainly did not stop there as Blake started to perform “Love Me In Whatever Way,” a heartbreakingly beautiful track from his earlier work, “The Color In Anything.” From the track’s strong harmonics and textural synths, the live version was singlehandedly the most entrancing moment of the night. Blue and purple lights shone and a faint white light towards Blake. Unlike other songs throughout the night, Blake was positioned towards my section of the audience as though he was singing directly to us in his angelic tone to carry through such intensely passionate lyrics. Blake's voice ascended effortlessly, with no other instruments besides the singular church-like synth similar to what you would hear from a pipe organ. This singular cohesive sound radiated throughout the venue at an otherworldly, healing frequency. The lights became brighter, flickering to the sound of the synths and so vast across the venue it was as if we had all entered Blake’s heaven, hearing the song exactly how he had meant for us to hear it. A collective powerful silence was between the audience shortly after the end as we were completely captivated by whatever healing energies Blake had brought onto us. 

Blake went on to play his next track “Tell Me,” a highly anticipated single to be heard live. “Tell me, is it worth fighting love for?” Blake sings before the track reaches a crescendo and electronic producer Rob McAndrews, also known as Airhead, creates a rave-like soundscape from analog bass lines for the crowd to release their built-up emotions from the prior melancholy tracks. The song never really came to a complete stop as Blake and the other members found a way to continue the rave the set had turned into with a track titled “Voyeur” from earlier work, “Overgrown” (2013). 

Any fears of how the fans' energy would be in Atlanta had disappeared once the crowd carried on the high-spirited energy from “Tell Me”.  While speaking with Blake, I mentioned thoughts of tonight being a lot more dance-y throughout. I asked, “Did you realize people wanted to dance a lot more tonight and let out their energy more?” Blake replied, “At the moment, generally everywhere it feels like this is what everyone wants to do. This is what I’ve observed in all the shows we’ve done. As long as you keep playing the other songs as well, not just too much kickdrops.”

While each bandmate played a separate variety of hypnotic and groovy riffs and segments, their chemistry characterized the atmosphere and original track exceeding every expectation of it. Green lights danced to the music as everyone around me was lit up with pure joy and energy. We had been taken through another part of Blake’s universe and collectively trusted the implementation of his rendition of “Voyeur’’ while it is not so often that you find yourself dancing as you do at a rave at a James Blake set. While the crowd moved in every which way to the sounds of “Voyeur” our souls had been cleansed and renewed. How could Blake possibly top a feeling like this? 

Of course, Blake had to shake us to our core following his lead single from “Overgrown” titled “Retrograde.” Although this is a track most fans have heard more times than they could count, Blake can perform it as if you are hearing it for the first time. “So be the girl you loved, be the girl you love” sings Blake on the dark stage with a couple of red hues all before his voice accelerates to the iconic few words “Suddenly I’m hit.” The organ-like synths make their way back to our heavenly experience and white beams of light appear near Blake appearing as the angel wings he spoke of before. Fans were in awe once again, holding onto each other because of how emotionally intense the journey with Blake had been thus far. Blake unexpectedly gave us another track from the new album “If You Can Hear Me,” probably his most emotionally vulnerable piece to date. Blake sings the words from a conversation with his father, “Dad, if you can hear me we speak less than I’d like I don’t know how I grew away from the vine,” laying out his innermost feelings towards us. With this song nearing the end, so was his story for us to experience. After “If You Can Hear Me,” he played his final song for us, a fan favorite titled “Modern Soul.” Before Blake gave us his angelic vocals for the end of the night, we were in our rave again dancing in the red lights to the bass thumping. Eventually, Blake began singing “I want it to be over, I want it to be over.” A bittersweet feeling loomed over the crowd, but all we could do was dance and take in the powerful performance of both darkness and light Blake had fearlessly presented to us. 

And as the song closed, the robots had finished making their way to the heavens Blake had masterfully constructed. 

Strike Out,

Writer: Sydni Torrero

Edited by: Nina Rueda

Orlando