Katherine Williams celebrates Sylvia Path

Manchester Literature Festival

KATHRYN WILLIAMS: HYPOXIA

Celebrating its 10th year, the Manchester Literature Festival (October 12th-25th) offers a plethora of events at venues in the midst, and on the edges, of the city centre. Halle St. Peters (Cutting Room Square, Ancoats) provided an ideal venue for Liverpool-born singer songwriter Kathryn Williams’ performance of her album Hypoxia in full, accompanied by her band.

Hypoxia was born from a 2013 commission by New Writing North to mark the 50th Anniversary of Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar. A deep re-engagement with Plath’s work became a revelation for Kathryn, and the resultant Hypoxia is an album of heartfelt songs inspired by Plath, her characters and her life. From the opening chords and tenderness of Electric (immediately drawing the audience into the intimacy of the evening) to the menacing ‘ticking, ticking bomb’ of Battleships and the anger of Tango with Marco, each track takes us on a journey of key moments from the novel.

Prior to the event, Kathryn Williams was unknown to me; post-concert she has become a staple on my Spotify playlist - a great evening in a perfect venue.

Rating 5/5

www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk

Halle St. Peters: October 17th 2015

Published: 18-Oct-2015 (3357)