Amanda Palmer's Art Show, 18 June 2012 in London

Amanda Palmer graced London with her presence for a few days this week, firstly for her Kickstarter Art Show on Monday, a free art-viewing and ninja gig on Tuesday and then her Rock Show on Wednesday. I was there for the Art and Rock shows. Amanda gives good show.

All shows were at Village Underground in Shoreditch, an art and performance space in what looks like an old workshop, all brick walls and high ceiling. The art for the new album and book was hung around the walls along with a few photographs from Neil Gaiman's 'Bed Book' (photos of naked couples in bed). The artworks were mainly of Amanda, either portrait or whole body, with some reflecting songs from the new album, including the cover art with its evil pink background. They were in all sorts of media and sizes and some more expressive than others.

Doors opened about 7:00pm when Amanda's bagpipe playing cousin came out in tartan regalia to serenade us and we duly trooped in. We were given drinks tokens and a black AFP-GTO goodies bag. Mine included a copy of Brecht's 'Life Of Galilieo', a purple felt pen, stickers, a black mask and a flick-comb. Amanda later said that she and Neil had gone to Charing Cross Road that morning to buy 100 books to put randomly in the bags and that we could swap them with each other if we wanted.

Then it was time to get a glass of wine and wander round the gallery looking at the art nailed to the bare brick walls. My favourite was a portrait of Amanda in oils on wood by Cassandra Long. It looked real, a little piece of Amanda's spirit captured in that painting as she looks you straight in the eye. I also liked the multiple exposure photographs Neil had taken of Amanda with their vivid colours and Amanda wandering round topless (there's a theme building here). And then the entertainment began with Princess Hans and Jorg that she'd picked up in Berlin. Amanda announced them and stayed out to watch the show with the rest of us.

Princess Hans is a New Zealander transplanted to Berlin with a shaved head, beard and sparkly silver frock with Jorg playing keyboard. They're a cabaret act and had some nice moments but I've seen beardy men in frocks before. He certainly put a lot of effort into the act and was soon glistening with sweat. Jorg kept his jacket on.

Then we were given Jherek Bischoff and a string quartet he'd recruited from local musicians. Jherek is the bass player in The Grand Theft Orchestra and also does the string arrangements for the band. He's also just released his first solo record and played some of the songs from it. Some of the songs sounded very cinematic, grand and lush while another one sounded like it was string arrangement for the song without the song.

Just as the final notes from Jherek's last song faded there was a blaring and a wailing and a clashing and the lights went down as Amanda Palmer and The Grand Theft Orchestra strode into the room led by the piper and Amanda with a megaphone. They soon cleared a space in the middle of the room with people sitting on the floor shuffling around, some being handed torches to use as spotlights and the main lighting during the show. This was an acoustic show (other than the teeniest of baby amps for Jherek's bass), with Amanda's keytar, banjo and buckets and pans for drums. Amanda was in a cream silk dress with loose straps that kept falling down exposing her black bra (but we've all seen that before).

They opened with 'The Killing Type' from the new record with Amanda scraping a knife along a metal sharpener for some percussion while banjos were strummed an buckets thumped and Amanda's strong voice overlaying it all. It sounded great stripped right back. She then moved on to 'Trout Heart Replica' and used the knife to chop up a beetroot while Jherek's string quarter made the room swirl and her hands turned red with the beet juice. That was washed off with Amanda kneeling on the ground, hands together and she kept them together, almost tied at the wrist for her eerie version of 'Polly'... It was a very theatrical performance.

The theatrics continued with Amanda cross-legged on the ground one moment and then wandering round the crowd singing 'Walk On The Wild Side' with Princess Hans following with the megaphone. Amanda spread out sheets on the cold concrete floor to represent beds during 'The Bed Song', a touching song about a relationship growing cold and old as the participants grow and buy bigger and better beds but finally realise they left their love behind. It's a bit of tear-jerker as only Amanda can do. We were also given 'Idioteque', the 'Wallet' song and Neil Gaiman came on to sing 'Psycho' with Amanda leaning against his leg and lazily strumming her ukelele.

After the audience participation of 'Want It Back' Amanda ran up a few steps so all of us could see her properly and sang 'Ukelele Anthem' with a big grin all over her face. I was standing right beside the steps so had a great view. She then said she was nervous and would the reserved British take part in the next stage of the show... at which point she shrugged off her dress and undid her bra and was naked, raising her arms and asking us to take out the felt pens in our goody-bags and write on her. Of course we took part and, since I was already beside her, I was one of the first to write to my name on her left shoulder! She was giggling and jiggling away as more people crowded round to initial her, draw on her or just make a colourful mess. I moved out of the way to let others have their moment with a naked Amanda Palmer.

After the show she and Neil came out to chat, have their photos taken and sign stuff. As ever, there's never enough time to meet and greet everyone but I managed a few words with them and got the 'An Evening With...' CD signed and could wander off into the midnight streets to Old Street tube station. I didn't get a hug (drat!) but I'd written on Amanda's shoulder instead. How many people can say that?  A lot more after this tour, I'm sure!