Anne Clark - Live At Rockpalast 1998 (Live, Biskuithalle, Bonn, April 12, 1998) (2023)

Combining literary, socially engaged texts with innovative and genre-breaking music, Anne Clark (born 1960 in Croydon, London) has covered every kind of music style. While at the same time maintaining her own identity on each and every recording, whether it be the samples (before sampling became a concept) and electronically treated acoustics of "The Sitting Room" (1982), to the ground-breaking analogue synth classics of "Sleeper In Metropolis" (1983) and "Our Darkness" (1984).

Clark is mainly a spoken word artist. Many of her lyrics deal critically with the imperfections of humanity, everyday life, and politics. Musically, almost all of Anne Clarke's works can be classified as electronic music with partly avant-garde classical, folk, rock and dance elements. Consistently looking for new ways of expression and communication through the emotion of music and language, Anne seeks to not only challenge herself but her audience as well.

Going between extremes of the minimal Scandinavian jazz influences of "Unstill Life" (1991) to the pastoral and poetic interpretations and translations of Rainer Maria Rilke's poetry on "Just After Sunset" (1997), to the full-on electronics and sparse acoustics of "The Smallest Acts Of Kindness" (2008), only very few artists have covered such a wide spectrum over such a long and consistent career.

In 1998 Anne Clark performed with her band - Andy Bell (keys), Gabriela Alqueres (guit.) and Midus Guerreiro (bass) - at the WDR (biggest national German Radio & TV - station) Rockpalast Osterrocknacht in Bonn's Biskuithalle. The impressive concert started with Anne's 1990 single "Abuse". followed by 1991's "Counter Act" from the "Unstill Life" album. Tracks from the albums "The Law Is An Anagram Of Wealth" (1993) and "To Love And Be Loved" (1995) completed the program, including terrific live versions of the Anne Clark hits "Sleeper In Metropolis" and "Our Darkness." Conclusion: A very impressive and evocative performance by Anne and her musicians, now available on CD and DVD.