James Blake, Waifish Beat-Whine Hero, is Coming to San Francisco in May

By Ian S. Port Fri., Mar. 11 2011 at 3:35 PM

Categories: Show To Know

James Blake's head is still spinning from all the blog buzz he's gotten.

Under the category of "shows that will sell out faster than you can say Best New Music," British Pitchfork darling/waif/producer of distressed electronic pop James Blake is coming to San Francisco in May. It is, as far as we can tell, the first- ever S.F. show for this artist -- so it's extra-likely to sell out.

Blake, along with Tom Krell of How To Dress Well, is among the leading purveyors of slowed-down, R&B-influenced drag-pop. Over quivering, buzzing beats and warm keyboard tones, Blake layers his own wails and moans and words into a digitized, Auto-tuned take on emo-dubstep. He's known best, and deservedly so, for this halting, haunting take on Feist's "Limit To Your Love":

With a Pitchfork 9.0 on his self-titled debut album and a backlash already on the way, Blake is looking set to become one of the most talked-about indie artists of 2K11. Those of you curious to see him do his thing in person can catch Blake May 22 at Great American Music Hall. Tickets go onsale here tomorrow morning, Saturday, March 12, at 10 a.m. It's all in your hands now, kids.

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