Jens Lekman – Union Chapel, London 03/08/10

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Photo credit 1-8: Paul Bridgewater | Photo credit 9-12: Minh Lee

The Blow are a misleadingly named band. Indeed, they’re not a band at all, no matter how much Mikhaela Maricich tries to persuade us otherwise. Nor do they blow. Far from it, in fact. From the first pre-recorded drum beats of the effortlessly cool ‘Hey Boy’, the quirky Ms. Maricich delivers a set which packed a punch, not to mention some pretty funky dance moves. Her bewildering, mesmerising performance, framed around an ill-fated, possibly entirely fictitious relationship with a red-headed celebrity with a penchant for underwear malfunctions is delivered entirely solo and over a backing track – a potential recipe for catastrophe (or at least relentless pretension) and yet it works beautifully. As she admits herself, “it’s cool to be a disaster…as long as you own it.” And man, she certainly owns it.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses to join you, the audience, and me, Jens Lekman“. Matrimonial vows aren’t a common feature of most gigs, but the Swedish indie-pop maestro’s devotion to his fanbase clearly goes further than most. And to be honest, the quality of tonight’s set would make even the most ardently heterosexual man at least consider the offer. Opening with a breezy solo version of ‘Sipping on the Sweet Nectar’, he takes full advantage of the venue’s superlative acoustics, leaning less on his band than usual. Indeed, although their presence is often welcome, especially on the astutely witty new single ‘The End Of The World Is Bigger Than Love’, there’s moments where the brass and strings seem superfluous in the face of the emotional intensity Jens can evoke with voice and guitar alone.

Although a surplus of new songs results in mid-set lull, he swiftly picks up momentum again with the luscious double-whammy of ‘Opposite of Hallelujah’ and ‘A Postcard to Nina’ (the finest song ever written about passing yourself off as a lesbian’s boyfriend to dupe her well-meaning, if old-fashioned father.). By the time he’d reached the infectiously bopping ‘A Sweet Summer’s Night On Hammer Hill’, the majority of the communion were up on their feet, smiling and clapping and dancing along like some old-timey revivalist meet. He bookended the set with with a vivacious full-band rendition of ‘Sweet Nectar’, nicely bringing the set full circle, although that wasn’t quite the end of Mr Lekman’s enchanting sermon.

Indeed, we’re treated to not one, but two encores, with Jens concluding with “A Pocketful of Money,” its repeated mantra “I’ll come running with a heart of fire” gradually diminishing to a hushed silence before erupting into a rapturous applause. Grown men cried (definitely not me). Good going Jens Lekman.