First Aid Kit - Islington Assembly Hall, 15/05/14

Stockholm sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg - aka First Aid Kit - have been flying the flag for folk since their debut record The Big Black & The Blue emerged in 2010, two years after their homemade YouTube cover of Fleet Foxes’ “Tiger Mountain Pleasant Song” went viral. Their talent was immediately apparent, but it wasn’t necessarily easy to foresee quite the breadth of appeal their music would have: The Lion’s Roar topped the charts in Sweden, while lead tracks from the wonderful sophomore have enjoyed over 17 million Spotify streams, as their fan-base spans from the hipster (somewhat infamously) across to our very own Prime Minister.

Tonight, the duo are launching their forthcoming third record Stay Gold, due for its Columbia release 9th June, and serves as a reminder just why First Aid Kit deserve this sizeable and diverse following. Flooded by a shimmering gold backdrop and a warm orange glow, Islington Assembly Hall - one of London’s most idyllic live venues - serves as the ideal setting for the show, which kicks-off a busy festival season for the sisters.

It feels like an intimate celebration for the fans as their appearance to the small stage is matched by a rousing reception and a mini standing ovation from the balcony. Staying with the theme, the two striking girls wear sparkling golden outfits, topped-off by boots David Beckham would be proud of. The gently glamorous look may not at first seem appropriate for their bucolic folk sound but it’s a running theme of the evening that the sisters marry the two with effortless ease.

Opening with a new track from Stay Gold, “Shattered And Hollow”, all the ingredients that caught the eye instantly shine through: Dylan-esque guitar picking combines with cascading pedal steel, soft keys and immaculately careful drums to form the backdrop for the most potent weapon; their voices. The relentless closeness of their harmonies feel more like two intertwining, standalone melodies; Simon & Garfunkel remain a lazy but nonetheless perfect comparison. Indeed a cover of the legendary duo’s “America” provides a poignant highlight. Klara leads the honied singing, with her voice carrying a quite mesmerising clarity, while Johanna brings a subtle rawness and character to the combination - together it’s magical and the succinct beauty must surely have something to do with their blood tie.

Other new tracks hint at the quality of the new record; undoubtedly it is not a reinvention but the old saying rings true and their writing style certainly ain’t broke. “Cedar Lane” stands-out in particular: it is a stunning outing that recalls Ryan Adams with its spine-tingling crescendo; “How could I break away from you” Klara quietly croons before they both lean back and belt the refrain in unison. The more kooky “Waitress Song” joins “Master Pretender” another of their jolly folk-driven ditties. It’s quite clearly going to follow its predecessor in classic, satisfying songwriting and there is a palpable excitement at the performance of new material.

Elsewhere, old favourites ring out to a wonderfully warm response: their go-to entirely unplugged rendition of “Ghost Town” offers a well-involved sing-along and gives the aforementioned voices real space to float out across the theatrical venue. Flying straight into the dark, gentle power of “Wolf” and new single “My Silver Lining” picks-up proceedings again, before Klara gets lost in “The Lion’s Roar” and headbangs her way through their biggest, most rousing track.

An encore, opened with faux-punk screaming of “Islington Assembly Hall!” leads to beautifully catchy fan-favourite “Emmylou” - a double chorus encourages even more singing along - and sums up the evening as a professional, genuine and, most importantly, completely enjoyable album launch. The Söderberg sisters have come along way from their YouTube cover and thoroughly deserve their crown as the leading lights in folk, and one of Scandinavia’s finest musical exports.

• Photo by Anthony Keiler. See the full gallery here.