OTHERWORLDLY MUSICAL MAGIC

On Sunday I sat down in Brighton Dome, unsure what the next two hours would reveal.

I've been listening to Nils Frahm for 8 years now, at first I used his slow beautiful piano tracks in yin yoga classes, clients often saying how it helped them settle and focus away from the internal noise and meandering thoughts.

He is a humble man, walking onstage in simple black dress, removing his beanie and taking a shallow bow before he wraps his hands in chainmail gloves and plays a machine that looks like a sewing machine, but in fact spins and produces the most beautiful eerie melody, from his hands touching the spinning gold... he moves onto keyboards, piano, dancing around his set up, flicking the motherboard of mixing desks. He loops beats, notes and atmosphere together.

It was, in fact, like a soundbath, I wanted to lie down and drift off, but I also wanted to watch him, his focus, his movement, his hands a channel of wonder as music and rhythm filled my head, pushing out all thoughts. Truths were revealed to me. I felt anger, wonder, tears fell as he played a simple piano track that landed in my heart.

Later on his trance-like music filled up every cell of my being. I marvelled at the wonder of being human, all of us collected in this theatre to listen, to witness. What is being human, if not this? Music and rhythm and the opportunity to lift out of the mundane for one night.

I know it's a privilege, being able to afford the theatre. But it's also a choice. This year has been tight, very tight. But I decided to book these things in, I say no to a few things like new clothes or meals out, so I can pick some things that I know will be a memory.

I think live music makes up strong memories for me. I remember every concert, if not the whole thing, perhaps a moment or how I felt. The same for every soundbath, I remember them all.

Here's a short poem I wrote about the night.

(Thank you for reading my rambles, I did warn you, I might not be blogging about wellness industry stuff moving forwards! Perhaps a little self indulgent. But I am just showing up, as me, sharing what I want to share. No longer trying to follow the rules.)

Spung gold, shadow figure

Spinning harmony, rising thinner

Like a ghost, black dress

Fingers reaching, towards the cloth

Rumbles journey, formula free

Shape of heart, an anomaly

sparks that rhyme, beats transcending

brain rattles, internal synchronicity

Spinning new webs, neural escape

Empowered prism, a neck that aches

To unpeel, reveal, no words

just wonder, to the void

The crashing, heartbreak

Love fixing, keys resolve

trickle of melody, cups the truth

rocks me, reveals in steady strips

A marvel, a conduit

A sprial, sound exposed

shut pride, wrought anger

music that spikes

Sorrow, surrender

Nils Frahm, Brighton Dome June '24