Words by Ed King
On Tuesday 29th November, Agnes Obel performs at the Birmingham Town Hall – coming to the city at the tail end of her European tour, with subsequent UK dates in Manchester (30.11) and Dublin (01.12).
Doors open at 7:30, with tickets priced at £22 – as presented by Crosstown Concerts. For direct gig info and online ticket sales, click here.
Born and raised in Copenghagen, but now in Berlin, Agnes Obel has been living and working with the piano from a young age – encouraged to explore a wide range of music, both classical and contemporary. Obel cites both Erik Satie and Jan Johansson as influences.
With music as a constant focus, the Danish musician and vocalist released her first solo album, Philarmonics, in October 2010. A stripped back and elegant LP, resting on simple piano melodies and Obel’s allegorical approach to lyrics, Philarmonics garnered much support from the record buying public and industry alike.
Agnes Obel’s sophomore album, Aventine, had a more robust, darker feel – evolving the playful melancholy of its predecessor with a richer vocal timbre and well rounded melodies. Production techniques were explored, for both vocals and keys, whilst repetition was softly 
embraced and accentuated. Strings were added on some songs – as with the lead single ‘The Curse’ – and a more diverse, layered album was released in September 2013.
Whist touring Aventine, Agnes Obel began work on her third album – Citizen of Glass, releasing it’s lead single, ‘Familiar’, in June 2016. The album was released in full on 21st October, with Obel’s latest LP an evolution once again – featuring an army of instruments and production techniques on the new record.
On the road a week later (and her birthday) Agnes Obel has been touring Citizen of Glass across Europe since late October – with support from Lisa Hannigan for many of the shows, appearing together for the final time at Le Colisée in Lille, France on 24th November. Agnes Obel begins a 17 date tour of North America and Canada on 28th Feb 2017.
‘Familiar’ – Agnes Obel
Agnes Obel performs at the Birmingham Town Hall on Tuesday 29th November, as presented by Crosstown Concerts. For direct gig info and online tickets sales, click here.
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For more on Agnes Obel, visit www.agnesobel.com
For more from the Town Hall and Symphony Hall, including full event listing and online ticket sales, visit www.thsh.co.uk
For more from Crosstown Concerts, visit www.crosstownconcerts.com