London Grammar – Electrowerkz, London 27/03/13

First shows are always intriguing. They can often result in a benefit of the doubt reaction, where discrepancies are overlooked as early issues will have time to be ironed-out. London Grammar require no such sympathy.

Their name feels oddly familiar considering their relatively embryonic nature, but the London trio have sold out Islington’s Electrowerkz and drawn an excitable crowd to its dark industrial caverns; its atmosphere perfect for the ambient sound the band create.

Opening the set with the stunning melancholy of ‘Hey Now’ grabs our attention immediately and highlights a focal point for their music; a completely assured and quite remarkable vocal. It is as unusual as it is impressive, and warm lower registers are married with piercing high notes with maturity beyond young years.

There is more to the set than simply this vocal though, as carefully projected live footage surrounds busy multi-instrumentation, adding depth and interest to the performance. The likes of Massive Attack and Faithless come to mind as crackling synthesized beats juxtapose smooth melodies with tidy, reverberating punctuation from a delay-heavy guitar. The use of acoustic percussion adds punch; incorporating bongos and finally putting careful brushes to one side allowing snare and cymbal to add welcome hints of heaviness.

‘Metal & Dust’ is among a number of songs sang back in unison at the smiling trio by a hoard of friends who appear blissfully unaware of their mainstream potential; it is the only part of the evening that creates a first show atmosphere, the rest is the complete package wrapped up with a poignant piano-laden encore. London Grammar have set their own standards – and set them very high.

Set List
Hey Now
Darling
Interlude
Stay Awake
Strong
Flickers
Wasting
Help
Metal & Dust
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If You Wait