Youth Knows No Pain

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.

I know your hands will clap

Lykke Li + El Perro Del Mar, Leeds Hi-Fi Club, 03/06/2008

The Hi-Fi club was tingling with anticipation, and tingle it might. Lykke Li has knocked The Blogs for six with her whispered heartaches and lo-fi loneliness. Could she deliver?

Before we could answer that we had a subtle opening set from El Perro Del Mar. A dusty-eyed Hope Sandoval singing into the sunset, she gave us slow burning songs designed for a night of stargazing in the desert.

And then Lykke Li took over the stage and stamped her domination on the evening. I knew this was going to be good, but I was shocked at just how good. Dancing, swaying, stamping, pointing, we belonged to her. Despite a minimal musical accompaniment, the songs were louder and pumped full of confidence compared to the skeletal recorded versions. Little Bit throbbed with a heartbeat of desire, and Breaking It Up was hollered through a megaphone, feedback ringing.

I’m Good, I’m Gone closed the main set and the dancing finally took off, we were clapping at all the right moments and getting rewarded with a knowing grin. She’s amassed a fine collection of pop songs that work their way into your consciousness. And encore came with a slow number followed by what appeared to be a cover of Walk On The Wild Side...until the drums kicked in to make it Can I Kick It. With some old skool hip hop shapes thrown in, she kicked it. She OWNED it.

Lykke is a star. 2008 will be hers, hell give her the next few decades. And make the most of these club shows, she won’t be playing many more tiny venues.

Kebab Watch – no food tonight, a belly full of vodka saw off any hunger.