Ahead of her 18th studio album, In Times of Dragons, and on her first tour in three years, Tori Amos is navigating the brutal state of the world in a way only she knows how: by channelling Celtic gods and turning into a half-dragon, half-woman character. The allegorical tales that make up her forthcoming record – “a metaphorical story about the fight for democracy over tyranny” – are evident on the early outing and live debut of Shush. A dark, doomy, track that slowly unfurls like a southern gothic tale, albeit one about battling an evil billionaire lizard demon husband. It’s big, dramatic, world-building stuff. But it’s also emblematic of Amos’s knack for delivering complex, weighty subject matter with deftness and fluidity.
However, this is not a run through of her as-yet-unreleased album. Instead, Amos dives deep into her vast and sprawling back catalogue, from the delicate deep cut Ruby Through the Looking-Glass to the atmospheric, slow-burn jazzy grooves of Little Amsterdam.
