38 Bido Lito! <strong>March</strong> <strong>2014</strong> Reviews London Grammar (Samantha Milligan) of Rob Coe (Guitar, Backing Vocals) and Sarah “Flossie” Anderson, who are in the UK to promote their new EP Where’s The Butcher, Where’s The Baker? The duo take to the stage with Rob lightly strumming around a simple chord structure, and Flossie adorning the cadence with what sounds like planned-yet-improvised sweeping, chromatic melodies on the violin. It provides a beautifully melancholy foundation for Djamila Skoglund Voss to step up to the microphone. The striking Scandinavian begins to sing with a precision and control rarely heard against such a naked backdrop. Her voice soars through the room and, although these conditions could be described as unforgiving for a lesser singer, she truly holds her own. Whether howling haunting top notes or resonating her lower register through what sounds like her entire body, she is stunningly pitch perfect. She is lending these melodies a little more power than can be heard on the recordings, and the effect is mesmerising. I’m The Clown comes as somewhat of a surprise, not that it is any happier in content, but that it is of a slightly more upbeat tempo than we’ve been graced with so far, and almost parodying the style in places, dramatising lyrics with cartoonish vocals and sound effects. It’s an inspired way to lighten the otherwise mournful tone, providing a little comic relief. Not That Kinda Town delivers the same treatment featuring a bell to “close the toyshop after school”; these embellishments are unexpected but add an enjoyable twist, searing the performance into our memory. The Opportunist showcases Flossie’s incredible talents, starting with an ascension that reaches right up to a top G in 5th position. Her vibrato is as perfect as her intonation. The jazz melodies reflect a classical-crossedwith-European folk influence, and this is emphasised by Skoglund Voss duplicating them on a wine-soaked kazoo; placing them somewhere between bizarre dark blues and melancholy gypsy jazz. We’re also privy to flawless travelling three-part harmonies, which hold tightly together no matter where the lead vocal takes them. This band truly hold the room; they pinpoint these perfect progressions over total silence, and it seems that every person is just soaking up this unique experience, attention rapt right up to the last moment. For House Of Trees, being back in “the city where it all started” has proved more than just another stop on the tour. Jessie Main / @JessieMainMusic Your Bag? Catch Louis Barabbas & the Bedlam 6 @ The Kazimier on 6th <strong>March</strong> LONDON GRAMMAR Dan Croll O2 Academy DAN CROLL is on the verge of making it big. Most people are aware of this now, even those who are aware of him purely because of the GTA V soundtrack. Whilst his music doesn’t quite evokes images of high-speed car chases and shootouts with the police, it has gained the 22-year-old quite a fan base, and the quickly growing crowd are ready to receive him this evening at the O2 Academy. Booming, syncopated afrobeat rhythms, simple staccato piano riffs, breezy guitar hooks and faultless vocal harmonies covering an impressive range – all come together during Croll’s set to create a South African soundscape blended with the West, often minimal but punctuated by bursts of colour. Our Nottingham-based headliners, LONDON GRAMMAR, were in a similar position to Dan Croll this time last year, with a handful of songs cropping up on trendy music blogs and grabbing listeners forcefully by the ears. Now they are touring their debut album If You Wait, which has earned them commercial success as well as critical acclaim. Tonight’s gig sold out months ago, and it’s not hard to see why. Vocalist Hannah Reid is one of the most talented female vocalists in British pop music today. Although many bands would be well and truly ruined if fronted by a classically trained singer (assuming Reid is classically trained), London Grammar’s modern, melancholic ballads are perfectly complemented by her powerful voice, over which she has absolute control. All three members of the band are masters of texture, which they prove again and again throughout the night. During opener Hey Now, Reid’s voice is reserved to begin with, weaving gently in and out of guitarist Dan Rothman’s mellow basslines. And then, slowly but surely, the climax is melting over you, with Reid’s ghost-like vocals reaching full volume, whilst the arpeggiated bassline subtly builds beneath. Only on Nightcall does the climax outstay its welcome, Reid apparently unable to rein it in when necessary. Standout track and encore Metal & Dust brings about the most onstage dynamics, Dot Major proving that men can indeed multi-task. He plays soothing chord progressions on the keyboard, whilst creating a shuddering pulse on the synth-pads, before flinging himself across the stage to bash out trip hop-inspired beats on the drum kit. This memorable performance makes for the perfect soundtrack to your late-night bus journey home through the city’s urban sprawl. Tom Fennell bidolito.co.uk
Science Fiction: New Death This major new exhibition will consider how our relationship with technology has blurred the lines between the real and the virtual, making our lives feel increasingly like science fiction. 27 <strong>March</strong> - 22 June / FREE Entry fact.co.uk / @FACT_liverpool Image: Nation Estate, Larissa Sansour, 2012, image courtesy of the artist
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