Nico: An Underground Experience & Heroine

Two concert recordings from the early eighties which could hardly be any more different. "Heroine" features Nico in a captivating performance at the Library Theatre in her then-hometown of Manchester. She is only supported by a drummer, a percussionist and a keyboarder. Like on her solo albums, she plays the harmonium herself. The mood is solemn and more reminiscent of a church service than a concert. "An Underground Experience", on the other hand, features Nico as the singer of a punk band thrashing their instruments in a basement club. Half the setlist is made up of Velvet Underground pieces, with a cover of Bowie's "Heroes" thrown in, all performed by Nico with a far-away stare in her eyes – an upsetting document of her physical decline.