We caught up with Adam & Dave from The War On Drugs just before their sold out Whelans gig in Dublin. They were pretty excited to be finally playing in the venue. They were also hoping Mike Scott was gonna jam with them that night. It never happened. Scott was in attendance though and as I stood beside him watching the band from our upstairs vantage point, it occurred to me that it didn’t matter that he had declined their invitation, what mattered was that he was there to witness and thereby honour the work of a new generation.
Standing in line at Tripod on Saturday night, surrounded by a bevy of young beauties, high heeled and dolled up in glad rags and warpaint I was reminded that Lykke Li is making her mark on the mainstream. This was not the usual muso gig-going crowd. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. Did it affect the atmosphere at the gig? Yes I believe so. Am I an overly possessive music snob? Probably.
The stage was draped in swathes of black satin and smoke and strobe lights set the scene. Lykke Li and her band emerged from the dazzling fog, opening with Jerome from her recent Wounded Rhymes album. Typical of much of this album, with a darkness looming large; the tone was set. The crowd’s clapping and cheers for the subsequent tracks from her debut Youth Novels were notably louder. Already it felt like something was amiss.
Though never actually appearing uncomfortable on stage, Li was not a natural performer and only ever really let go when she banged away at the floor tom and crash cymbal to her side for Dance Dance Dance. Her live sound is richly layered and as well executed as her records, augmented by two drummers. But with so many down tempo songs in tonight’s set, and a lukewarm reaction from the crowd, the gig never really took off. A possible solution to presenting the slower material might have been to use them to build up to the faster more danceable tracks like Get Some, which appeared mid-set and was therefore underwhelming.
Leaving the venue (always a nightmare and surely a major fire hazard in Tripod) I could not shake the feeling that this had been just a mediocre gig, lacking much of the magic that her albums sparkle with. I bumped into her band later in Anseo on Camden Street. Enjoying a few well earned post gig pints they shared none of my feelings on the atmosphere in Tripod. Maybe I was alone in thinking that the performance landed somewhat off target, or maybe Lykke Li has her sights set elsewhere.
Released late last year Twin Shadow’s album Forget went straight to the top of many best of year lists, effortlessly earning its place. The debut from Dominican Republic born, Florida raised and Brooklyn reborn George Lewis Jr revealed itself an instant success in slow-release chillwave. Softly sung bittersweet nostalgia, a magpie ear for 80’s pop hooks, wonky vintage synths and drum machines colluded in a work of haunted beauty. Musically and vocally Lewis was unafraid to revel in his unashamed homage to heroes, but…and here is the crux; there was always far more going on than in the output of similarly inclined but lesser endowed contemporaries such as The Drums et al.
Reproducing the sonic detail and density of the record was never really going to be on the cards, at least not for an artist playing Crawdaddy, with a capacity of 300, but reports that a full band were in tow did however keep the bar raised. I had been getting very excited by what I read of gigs elsewhere and as the date approached it looked like I was even gonna get to interview Lewis before the show. However the PR channels that needed to be navigated tend to lend themselves all to easily to small minded traffic controllers. (end of rant)
I got to the venue just after 9. Support act Solar Bears were on stage and Lewis was chatting to fans at the bar, unaffectedly. I furnished myself with a brandy and ginger, had a wander around the Tripod compound and headed back into Crawdaddy just as Twin Shadow took to the stage. Lewis immediately acknowledged the warm buzz of the Dublin crowd by thanking them for the best reception on the tour so far. Opener Shooting Holes was a great introduction to the Twin Shadow live sound. Harder and looser than on record the immediate groove now augmented by live drums. Flanked by his bandmates, Lewis displayed a rare presence of ease for such a young gun. He lead the songs on his telecaster and cut a Prince-like figure breaking into solos and rocking out with extended jams on almost every number. This was what we had come for. Tonight’s short set included almost everything on the album (I think) and by the time the band had returned for an encore to the triumphant Ole Ole Ole from the ever excitable crowd it was clear that the 2000 people at London’s Shepherds Bush tomorrow night would be witnessing the same star ascending, now shining all the brighter.
On a night when Santa would have been forgiven for a no show, Janelle Monáe and her ‘touring party’ arrived in Dublin for her first headline Irish gig. Our appetites were well whetted by her two performances at Electric Picnic earlier this year. Tonight’s gig started later than expected but understandably so given the logistical nightmare such severe weather brings. Her dapper band, suited and booted in their trademark tuxedos were first on stage, followed by her top hatted MC. To the sound of The ArchAndroid album opener Suite II Overture, Monáe was heralded onto the stage like the star that she is. However what emerged were three hooded and cloaked figures, like zombie nuns, who with their backs to the crowd, came alive as the urgency of Dance Or Die kicked in. But where was that voice coming from? And then..behold! Ms Janelle Monáe cast off her disguise and was finally revealed, six feet in front of us and five feet tall. Of course this playful tease was just that, as by now her stage entrance has been well documented. But I for one bought into the fantasy and so was still enthralled, for knowledge of a fantasy does not deplete its power.
Dance Or Die segued into Faster, and Faster into Locked Inside just as they do on record but live the effect was mesmerizing, almost disorientating, like a flurry of punches from a feather weight boxer. Monáe’s is a multi media assualt. At any one time there were up to ten people on stage, either dancing or playing, usually both, including ‘the funkiest horn section in Metropolis.’ But Monáe commands the attention on stage, like a pint sized female James Brown. Accompanied only by guitar, her rendition of the Charlie Chaplin standard ‘Smile’ displayed her powerful vocals to awe inspiring effect. This cover version and Sincerely Jane from 2008‘s Metropolis: Suite 1 (The Chase), that directly followed, were the only deviations from her current album showcase. The knock out combination of Cold War and Tightrope closed the show as balloons descended on the dancing grinning masses. Her MC then informed us that it was Janelle’s birthday and as the crowd sang to her, a real, unaffected joy appeared to light up her cherubic face. As an encore, Come Alive successfully pulled off the feat of following her massive hit single and tonight, trumping it. She even returned once again to send us home reeling to the gentle soulful sound of Oh, Maker.
The artistry and sheer star quality of Monáe cannot be overstated and her energy and enthusiasm are infectious. However even with the extra celebration tonight, she still only engaged with the crowd on her level. In fact when she climbed from the stage and into the crowd, 1200 adoring fans crouched down low for her. A wonderfully bizarre site in a near capacity Tripod tonight. Outside the venue a limo and driver awaited to whisk Janelle Monáe away. Given the stellar pop fantasy that had we just witnessed, a sleigh and reindeer would not have been out of place.
