Last night I went to see Alt J play at the 02 Brixton Academy; they were absolutely fantastic, (despite front man Joe Newman losing his voice at points.)
There is something about watching live music that changes the way you hear a song, do you know what I mean? Once you have heard a band sing live with live feeling, crowds and a different context, you just want to listen to them again and again and again. Well, I do anyway, which is why today I am listening to ‘The Awesome Wave’ on repeat.
My favourite song from the album is ‘Matilda,’ – it manages to be both beautifully soft and a real crowd-swaying anthem.
DID you know, that the song is inspired by the 1994 Luc Besson film Leon (Natalie Portman’s first film and my god, she is the most beautiful little girl.)
Hitman Léon says the line, “This is from Mathilda,” as he gives a corrupt DEA detective a grip of grenade pins. “The song is about that moment in the film,” say Alt J’s Newman , “and it talks about Jean Reno’s relationship with Matilda, and Leon’s relationship with her.”
Well, now you know. I found this video on YouTube which an Alt J fan created to illustrate the films influences on ‘Matilda.’
It’s so well done, Portman’s face is simply perfect.