With an ever building hype around a band, I always get nervous before I see their show. Not because I might not love it (as that is always a possibility) but rather that I might not be able to get a ticket to the show. But on this night I was lucky enough to have a mate who had secured a ticket for me and I was able just to turn up and enjoy the show.
London Grammar sold out their show at the Paradiso quite a while ago and as time had passed in the lead up to the gig I felt they had developed a legit feel about them. If I were to try and quantify that statement it would be that they do not feel like a flash in the pan, rather a reasonably well rounded group of people who are not daunted at playing TV shows or putting on a great live performance.
Couple that with some pretty good reviews from shows back home, (in Australia) and a very good album release (and EP), and I was pretty keen to catch this show. After all I had heard that Hannah Reid's voice was really good and add to that some haunting keys and this will always excite me in a musical way and thus London Grammar had all the hall marks of being right up that ally.
So when the show kicked off with the opening track to the album I was far from disappointed, it set the tone for the rest of the evening, haunting and melancholy, just the way I like it.
The band rolled through the set with ease and grace and occasionally moments of English banter with the crowd. Enough to feel like they had played a number of shows and were feeling quite comfortable in what they were doing.
The complexity of the song "Strong" rounded the evening’s pre encore festivities and seemed to be very fitting for the whole night. Once again Hannah Reid’s powerful voice commanded the respect it received.
Furthermore as the set closed with "Metal and Dust" the lyrics ran in my head...."we argue we don’t fight" and that is exactly want I want for this band, no fighting and to only get stronger and bigger and I don't doubt that this is exactly what will happen.
What I got out of the evening was some great songs, with a performs somewhere between The XX and Florence & The Machine, with the production value of a Chvches live show. All of which have struck a chord with me over the last few years, and all of which have blown me away with their live performances.
What I got out of the evening was some great songs, with a performs somewhere between The XX and Florence & The Machine, with the production value of a Chvches live show. All of which have struck a chord with me over the last few years, and all of which have blown me away with their live performances.
Great production; that was what I found myself telling people about this show. This is not necessarily the best thing to take out of a live performance I suppose, but it was very good. This lead me to feel this may have been one of the best produced shows I have seen in a while, and this resonated the very professional nature of the band and it crew all around.
And onto my slight disappointment for the evening. I really didn't love the fact that the band had to finish on time so they could meet a TV commitment, which was a contentious point in the evening as the band bantered with the crowd as to whether the TV show was cool(RTL live). When the eleven song set finally came to a close they would leave the stage and the show would be over, it was now time for their next TV appearance before jumping onto the bus and towards the next venue.
As strange as this sounds if London Grammar are playing next years Grammies or even Oscars don't be greatly surprised. These guys have a few more tricks in their bag and a world to conclude, so watch this space.
JV
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