by Jennifer Boyer
The Lonely Hearts Club landed at New York's Terminal 5 as Marina & The Diamonds continued her trek across the States for round two of sophmore record Elektra Heart's tour cycle. Marina Lambrini Diamandis - half Greek, half Welsh - strutted onstage with a look that could only come across as I am in the zone; nothing can stop be now before sweetly singing, "And I don't belong to anyone," then launching into the brazen "Homewrecker."
"New York, this next song is one of my favorites," stated Diamandis. "It speaks deeply to us all." A lover of witty word play, the singer wore a pink satin beauty pageant sash declaring her Ms. Sellfish Beach. Diamandis then carried on with the impertinent lyrics that comprise much of Elektra Heart, cheerfully caroling the words belonging to the terrific roller coaster "Bubblegum Bitch."
"This song is very relevant to New York," began Diamandis - now seated at her keyboard. "It's called 'Obsessions.' It was the first song I was playing before I got signed. A boy from New York saw me performing it on the Internet. I honestly never thought I'd be playing for 3,000 people," concluded the incredulous pop star. "Cheers," toasted Diamandis, sipping from a clandestine cocktail. "It's whiskey, of course. This next song is rough around the edges. It's called 'Sex Yeah.' We just started playing it," revealed the quirky singer.
"Do you want to meet my pet?" inquired Diamandis as she showed off a toy dog. "This is Marilyn. I'm a musician. I travel a lot so I can't have a pet. She talks, she walks. She is a part of this next song," finished the harmlessly peculiar singer as the opening chords of hit song "Primadonna" bounced off the walls. One of her most widely known tunes (as evidenced by everyone singing along), the Dr. Luke written and produced "Primadonna" was by far the highlight of Diamandis's set.
"Shampain," a cheeky gem found on debut record The Family Jewels, had Diamandis performing synchronized and exaggerated arm movements over an underlying piano riff. "Are you ready?" the singer asked. "Come on! One, two, three!" she shouted as the crowd joined in for the last refrain. "That was fabulous," congratulated Diamandis after the synth-fueled, rave-like "Radioactive" got fans jumping up and down. "Guys, this night has flown by really quickly." The Welsh songbird utilized her operatic upper register on the self-penned "Fear & Loathing," letting her voice reach for the stratosphere.
"Thank you so much New York! Good night!" exclaimed Diamandis. Moments later, she returned to play a heartfelt yet mournful acoustic renditoin of "Teen Idle" with only piano accompaniment. Normally backed by plenty of programmed drums on Elektra Heart so as to fit in with the album's sonic theme, the pianist uses this part of her live show to connect with fans (her "Diamonds") in the most intimate way a performer can, revealing her deepest, darkest thoughts over a hauntingly beautiful melody.
"You're a goddess!" yelled a gaggle of boys as "Teen Idle" led way to the grand finale, "How To Be A Heartbreaker." "Thank you all for coming," graciously maintained Diamandis, "And for supporting me all the way. I hope to be back next year. One more song, let's go!"
Marina & The Diamonds "How To Be A Heartbreaker"
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