Lykke Li, Leeds Cockpit, 15th April 2011
Let’s be honest, the Cockpit isn’t famed for its aesthetic qualities. A mobile signal blackspot with an air raid shelter roof and a floor that would need an atom bomb of bleach before it could even be described as “a bit sticky”, most acts arrive, accept what it is capable of and leave.
Lykke Li isn’t most acts. Tonight the Cockpit was transformed in to a smoky, gorgeously lit cavern with draped curtains and a wind machine. There, in the centre of it all was Li...Fitter, huskier, more seductive.
A sold out crowd baked in the tinned heat as her band took to the stage and opened with Jerome. The tribal percussion of second album Wounded Rhymes was perfectly represented. Of the 6 musicians, the standard split was two on drums, two on keyboards and one backing singer. Rarely was a guitar or bass picked up. Wounded Rhymes is a record that positively throbs with desire, the 10 tracks a massive leap forward from debut Youth Novels.
As expected, it was the newer songs that were the focus of the evening. A flurry of cries for Little Bit were silenced with the retort “is that all you want to hear?? I’m trying to teach you about all kinds of music”, going on to pause b-side Paris Blue halfway through to ask the crowd if it was fine to continue, with more than a little irritation in her voice. As if we’d say no. Little Bit just happened to come next, the fragility of the recorded version eclipsed by a powerful bass line.
Love Out Of Lust sounded painfully beautiful live (“so dance while you can…dance ‘cause you must”) as did Sadness Is A Blessing (“sadness you’re my boyfriend, oh sadness I’m your girl”). Li certainly knows how to put every bit of her heart on display. Tune Of 2011 so far goes to I Follow Rivers, showing there is determination amongst the despair, alongside the catchiest of melodies.
There were a few surprises in the mix too. A cover of a song by The Big Pink was a bizarre inclusion. But far more successful was a rendition of the intro Silent Shout by The Knife, merging into Until We Bleed, her Kleerup collaboration. We were also treated to Possibilities, Li’s contribution to the New Moon soundtrack.
Little Bit aside, the only other track from Youth Novels to be performed was a powerful I’m Good, I’m Gone, with Li pulling all kinds of shapes with some drum sticks, smashing away at nearby cymbals whenever she saw right.
Get Some closed the main set, causing much dancing on stage and off, before an encore of Youth Knows No Pain and Unrequited Love, ending on a sombre note. Perhaps the lesson is that not all stories have happy endings. Happy or not, all gigs I see this year will be measured against this ridiculously high bench mark. Sensational.
Sunday 17 April 2011
Edit
During my lazy period of not writing anything, I went to some shows...
LCD Soundsystem & Hot Chip, Rotherham Magna Centre, 13th November 2010
Everything ends. It’s a depressing fact, and James Murphy calling time on LCD Soundsystem just feels plain cruel. But at least we got one last hurrah in a co-headline tour with bezzie mates Hot Chip.
The night wasn’t without controversies though, with LCD taking to the stage first and only playing All My Friends off Sound Of Silver. If I’m honest, I was still in awe of their Academy gig, nothing was ever going to top that. What we got instead was show more focused on This Is Happening, the set opening and closing with that records’ first and last tracks. In between there was the usual faultless musicianship and trademark Murphy self deprivation. If this really is the end then they left on a high.
Less praise can be given to the bar facilities at the venue. OK, so working museums don’t tend to be well versed in the ways efficient alcohol distribution, but this was taking the piss. Woefully understocked and using a bar surface that was just that little bit too long to be heard over, we lost whole hours in that plastic bottled hell, and the first few songs of Hot Chip as well.
Whereas LCD have always performed as a bunch of session musicians (beyond talented but lacking camaraderie), Hot Chip played like the Boys From School, working off each other and generally having the times of their lives. Latest album One Life Stand did the usual Hot Chip record thing of containing some brilliant moments before drifting off a bit towards the end. Although to be fair to them that is an accusation you could level at pretty much any album these days. Unlike most bands, when Hot Chip release a Best Of it’ll contain some of the finest dance pop this country has produced.
Still sore from not hearing Someone Great or All I Want earlier, it was pleasing to hear Hot Chip play every song I wanted them to play, just not in the way I was expecting to hear them. One or two unnecessary guitar solos were thrown in, but Over & Over, Ready For The Floor and Shake A Fist were all present, correct and dance magic.
I remain hopeful that this isn’t really the end for LCD. James Murphy Will Return.
The Go! Team, Leeds Cockpit, 18th February 2011
Another band that have announced that this could be our last album / tour / series. What’s going on?? Still, since Take That have made reforming into a billion dollar business, no one seems to stay split up for long.
New record Rolling Blackouts takes the familiar themes of old skool horn samples, cheerleader freestyling and all the drums in the universe and thrown in some good old fashioned songwriting that gives the whole experience a more satisfying feel.
Ninja is still the star, kicking out against everything and anything, dancing like she knows you’re watching. She gets the biggest cheers, so it’s ironic that my favourite tunes from the new album actually feature the vocal talents of the other members. Secretary Song fizzes and delights, and Ready To Go Steady is a gorgeous Mowtown girl group-esque ode to settling down with that right guy.
Playing the songs in the same order every gig must get depressing, but is was a tad odd to chuck out Ladyflash so early on, and to end the encore with second album track Keys To The City. But hey, there was party on the stage and everyone was invited. Add to that some charming crowd interaction: “we’re gonna play our new single now which is called...anybody?” cue a muffled reaction from the audience. “See, that’s why we’re never gonna be famous!” Their career path may never reach the X Factor Results Show, but by the looks on their faces The Go! Team are bloody happy doing their own thing their own way, and making us all dance at the same time.
LCD Soundsystem & Hot Chip, Rotherham Magna Centre, 13th November 2010
Everything ends. It’s a depressing fact, and James Murphy calling time on LCD Soundsystem just feels plain cruel. But at least we got one last hurrah in a co-headline tour with bezzie mates Hot Chip.
The night wasn’t without controversies though, with LCD taking to the stage first and only playing All My Friends off Sound Of Silver. If I’m honest, I was still in awe of their Academy gig, nothing was ever going to top that. What we got instead was show more focused on This Is Happening, the set opening and closing with that records’ first and last tracks. In between there was the usual faultless musicianship and trademark Murphy self deprivation. If this really is the end then they left on a high.
Less praise can be given to the bar facilities at the venue. OK, so working museums don’t tend to be well versed in the ways efficient alcohol distribution, but this was taking the piss. Woefully understocked and using a bar surface that was just that little bit too long to be heard over, we lost whole hours in that plastic bottled hell, and the first few songs of Hot Chip as well.
Whereas LCD have always performed as a bunch of session musicians (beyond talented but lacking camaraderie), Hot Chip played like the Boys From School, working off each other and generally having the times of their lives. Latest album One Life Stand did the usual Hot Chip record thing of containing some brilliant moments before drifting off a bit towards the end. Although to be fair to them that is an accusation you could level at pretty much any album these days. Unlike most bands, when Hot Chip release a Best Of it’ll contain some of the finest dance pop this country has produced.
Still sore from not hearing Someone Great or All I Want earlier, it was pleasing to hear Hot Chip play every song I wanted them to play, just not in the way I was expecting to hear them. One or two unnecessary guitar solos were thrown in, but Over & Over, Ready For The Floor and Shake A Fist were all present, correct and dance magic.
I remain hopeful that this isn’t really the end for LCD. James Murphy Will Return.
The Go! Team, Leeds Cockpit, 18th February 2011
Another band that have announced that this could be our last album / tour / series. What’s going on?? Still, since Take That have made reforming into a billion dollar business, no one seems to stay split up for long.
New record Rolling Blackouts takes the familiar themes of old skool horn samples, cheerleader freestyling and all the drums in the universe and thrown in some good old fashioned songwriting that gives the whole experience a more satisfying feel.
Ninja is still the star, kicking out against everything and anything, dancing like she knows you’re watching. She gets the biggest cheers, so it’s ironic that my favourite tunes from the new album actually feature the vocal talents of the other members. Secretary Song fizzes and delights, and Ready To Go Steady is a gorgeous Mowtown girl group-esque ode to settling down with that right guy.
Playing the songs in the same order every gig must get depressing, but is was a tad odd to chuck out Ladyflash so early on, and to end the encore with second album track Keys To The City. But hey, there was party on the stage and everyone was invited. Add to that some charming crowd interaction: “we’re gonna play our new single now which is called...anybody?” cue a muffled reaction from the audience. “See, that’s why we’re never gonna be famous!” Their career path may never reach the X Factor Results Show, but by the looks on their faces The Go! Team are bloody happy doing their own thing their own way, and making us all dance at the same time.
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