“We’re here at the Eden Project and we’re ready to go! I’m completely blown away by this place. Met Tim Smit today – what a guy. This place is the future …” There was no doubting the enthusiasm of quirky songstress Paloma Faith for her ASUS Eden Sessions concert in the unique setting of the Eden Project. Nor was there any doubt about the welcome she was given by the 6000 of us who enjoyed her music so much on a clear June night in Cornwall.
Paloma belted out many of her hits from the past six years, accompanied by two fab backing singers dressed in 1950s frocks, and a splendid band. She wore a gorgeous Nicolas Jebran mini-dress which seemed to be made from thousands of sequins and flourescent orange bands that glittered and shone as she danced around the stage.
Before the evening kicked off I went into the Arena for a pre-concert interview about the new ASUS Transformer Book Chi, the Eden Project and Paloma Faith. ASUS, a computer hardware and electronics company, is sponsoring the Eden Sessions and had invited four of us ‘lifestyle’ bloggers to the concert.
We had to move from the Arena when the Eden Sessions’ first act, Liam Bailey, started his sound checks and it got a bit noisy. My video interview took place in the quietest corner we could find in the Eden Project! I talked about the versatility and elegance of the ASUS Chi. I’ve got the 10″ version so it’s easy to carry about, has a really strong aluminium body, is extremely thin and looks very stylish.
However, its best feature is that the screen splits from the keyboard so it can be used EITHER as a laptop OR a tablet. For a blogger this a real advantage; tablets are all very well but it’s not easy write at length on them. I’m getting into making short videos so the camera is a big plus as is the large memory (64GB), perfect for storing lots of photos and videos.
Once the interview was over, we had a delicious dinner in the Med Terrace Restaurant and then out into the arena for the concert. As you can imagine, the front area was heaving so a few of us pushed our way towards the back where the raised bank meant we got a great view. I’m not a huge fan of big crowds, but everyone was really friendly, all ages and just out for a good time.
Singer-songwriter Paloma Faith, from East London, was named Best Female Solo Artist at the BRIT Awards this year. Her 3rd album, A Perfect Contradiction, got to number two in the UK charts and went double-platinum. Her distinctive voice had been compared with classic soul singers such as Etta James and Billie Holiday, as well as more contemporary artists like Adele and Amy Winehouse.
Her most successful song, ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’ took on a huge resonance as thousands sand along and she threw her powerful voice into the sky and brought us all to a resounding climax … Watch her steamy rendition here.
I loved her joie de vivre, (belied by the rather poignant lyrics of some of her songs) and she connected to the audience with her humour and obvious delight at performing in this unique concert venue. Singing ‘Can’t Rely On You’ she changed the lyrics to, ‘We’re at the Eden Project, we can rely on you’ and as evening got darker, the huge Biomes behind the stage lit up and changed colour in time to the music. Magical …
She finished off the night with a wonderful version of ‘Take Me’ and the resounding applause at the end showed we’d all taken her to our hearts. A fantastic evening of superb musicianship in an exceptional setting – to paraphrase Paloma, that’s The Truth AND Something Beautiful …
Where to stay
I stayed onsite at the YHA Eden Project in one of their ‘Snoozeboxes’, which are containers converted into comfortable en-suite bedrooms, about 15 minutes’ walk from the main entrance.
It’s excellent value and ideal for a night or two so you can enjoy the concert and have plenty of time to explore the Eden Project at your leisure.
I visited the Eden Project and stayed at the YHA Eden courtesy of ASUS UK.
As you can see this really was a fun experience! Not only to see Paloma Faith but also to return to the unique Eden Project. I’d not been for 8 years and it was wonderful to see how this world-class attraction has matured into a stunning eco-environment, unique in this country – and the world 🙂
Looks like you had a good time. I remember when we went there – saw a giant bee. Is it still there?
Yes the bee is still there and so is Eve – only she is in a different place now.
Nice video! I’ve seen your Chi and it is very neat and versatile 🙂
It is John – as I say on the video, it’s my new Best Friend 😉