Beth Orton’s adventurous recent songs take centre stage in Brighton show
Beth Orton performed at Brighton's Concorde 2, drawing almost entirely from her recent albums rather than the 1990s hits that made her famous. Whilst this might seem risky 30 years into a career, her latest recordings are so accomplished that the choice becomes inspired, showcasing an artist making the most adventurous and fascinating music of her life.
Her artistic transformation began in the mid-2010s as she shifted from increasingly traditional and acoustic material towards experimental, dancefloor-adjacent sounds. Seated at a keyboard throughout, she was backed by a jazz-rooted ensemble featuring bassist Tom Herbert, pianist Sam Beste, and trumpeter Christos Stylianides, whose breathy, effects-laden playing became a dominant voice in arrangements of emotionally fraught songs about sleepless nights, the passage of time, illness and loss. Yet her set closer "Otherside" offered battered but anthemic optimism that left a largely nostalgic audience in rapturous response.
- Orton drew almost entirely from recent albums, skipping the 1990s hits audiences expected.
- She's making the most adventurous, fascinating music of her career at mid-50s.
- Jazz-rooted ensemble backed emotionally fraught songs; audience loved it despite expecting nostalgia.
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Beth Orton is a musician who became prominent in the 1990s for delicate, acoustic songs that won her an international following. Three decades later, she continues to record and perform, though her artistic direction has changed considerably.
From the mid-2010s onwards, Orton moved away from the traditional acoustic style of her early work towards experimental and electronic-influenced music. Her recent albums explore themes including sleeplessness, ageing, illness and loss, marking a significant departure from the 1990s material with which many associate her name.
Performance choices reveal how artists wish to present themselves at different career stages. For musicians with long histories and substantial catalogues, whether to emphasise well-known early work or newer material reflects their judgment about where their most significant current work lies.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Artists should perform their most accomplished current work rather than rely on past successes. Beth Orton's recent material is demonstrably adventurous and fascinating—worthy of standing alone without nostalgia padding. A 30-year career should celebrate artistic evolution, not regression into oldies acts. An artist who shirks their best work to please nostalgic expectations betrays their creative integrity and underestimates audiences who appreciate live performance as artistic expression.
The case against
A concert represents a shared history built over decades between artist and loyal audience. Fans who supported Beth Orton in the 1990s invested emotionally and financially in her career, and seeing those beloved songs sidelined almost entirely can feel dismissive of that relationship. Genuine artistic confidence allows space for both new adventurous material and classic beloved songs. Honouring the past alongside embracing the future demonstrates gratitude to the audience that made a 30-year career possible in the first place.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Beth Orton review – battered optimism from an artist making the best music of her career”.