“Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser to perform at Meltdown festival”

• By Dave Simpson
• The Guardian
• 30-Apr 2012

Singer with 1980s band who has ‘the voice of God’ persuaded to play two dates at Royal Festival Hall

She has not performed solo since the Cocteau Twins split in 1998, but Elizabeth Fraser, whose spectral voice was once described as “the voice of God”, has announced plans to play two dates at the Royal Festival Hall, thanks to the persuasive powers of Antony Hegarty.

The concerts on 6 and 7 August are part of this year’s Meltdown festival on the South Bank, London, which is being curated by the equally extraordinary-voiced Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons.

“It doesn’t take much from Antony,” Fraser said, speaking exclusively to the Guardian. “He’s lovely. He just said ‘Why don’t you consider doing it? He knew I’d be very anxious. He knows I’m very shy, but I’m getting to know Antony and opening up to him. He thought it would be harder to convince me than it was.”

Fraser’s only post-Cocteaus live appearances have been on tour in 2006 with Massive Attack, after singing on their 1998 hit ‘Teardrop,’ and Mezzanine album. “That was hard,” she admits. “Partly it can free you up, because you’re not the focus. But also it means it’s not your gig and you can’t spend time making sure things are how you want.”

Fraser, 48, is famously both perfectionist and fragile. In 2009 she told the Guardian that she saw making music as inseparable from her emotions…

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