DM Stith – The Slaughtered Lamb, London, 21/03/2010

24 March 2010, 09:00 | Written by Natalia Raha

(Live)

Brighton’s Mechanical Bride are in support for mellow Sunday night of rather sublime songwriting at The Slaughtered Lamb. Present as a two-piece (due to minor injuries to a third band member) Lauren Dross and Caroline Weeks work through a set of instrument swapping and delicately-crafted quiet songs. The piano waltz of ‘Poor Boy’ coupled with the duo’s simple vocals harmonies recall something timeless in the talk of changing “gray eyes back to blue”. Dross’ sparse guitar and mandolin parts are particularly captivating; Weeks adding dabs of flute and accordion that flourish without overwhelming the sound.

DM Stith is stripped right down to his core, appearing with an acoustic guitar and vocal microphone fed through a temperamental loop pedal. Whilst the grandeur of his piano playing is absent from opener ‘Morning Glory Cloud’, we really get to hear the cores essences of his music – heart-strung questioning lyrics, a voice that stretches from a gentle lull into its higher regions without losing its timbre, and utterly brilliant guitar work. The latter ensures ‘Pity Dance’ and ‘Thanksgiving Moon’ maintain their woozy, delirious nature with David’s vocal aah-ing and ooh-ing at most possible moments.

The Brooklynite cites testing new material as the reason for this short European tour. ‘My Impatience’ utilises Stith’s sublime finger-picking, whilst the other, as yet untitled new song starts with a six-part vocal loop. They’re an example of his consistency in songwriting, which gleams finest on ‘Around The Lion Legs’ from recent EP Curtain Speech. David makes a dedication to the late Mark Linkous, a clear influence, covering Sparklehorse’s ‘Spirit Ditch’ with minutely more pace than the original.

The intimacy of The Lamb leaves no place to escape an encore – even the barman is transfixed by the closing notes of ‘Just Once’. Stith admits that in the thirty hours between leaving South-by-South-West and this show, he’s been blessed with two mere hours of sleep and had his notebook and ideas thoroughly studied by British Customs Agents. Despite this, his performance contains no signs of fatigue – quiet charm and talent aplenty, proving that his music can be stunning without the density woven through his records.