Loney, Dear – The Water Rats, London. 25/04/07

What better way to spend a warm and hazy Wednesday evening in the nations capital than to experience a low key intimate show from everyones favourite indie pop genius Emil Svanängen and his fellow bandmates. Loney, Dear are fast becoming this years sensation. Having wowed fans and critics alike with last years Sologne and new album Loney, Noir, the band have just come back from an extensive tour of the US that saw them opening for Of Montreal and most recently Low. On a whistle stop tour of the UK before they head back to their homeland of Sweden we are treated to an evening of pure joy. More on that later though.

First up in a still half empty Water Rats are Bristol based newcomers Lena Rez. They play a fairly impressive 30 minute set of hypnotic downtempo indie. Weird and wonderful slide guitar over soothing melodies and the occasional burst of energy. Though, by the end of the set I felt like i’d been given a dose of Ketamine. Or maybe that was just the cheap lager. A few more people trickled in for Forever Like Red, but they should have stayed in the bar. These guys play meat and two veg indie rock with a splattering of angst. I did find myself enjoying moments but these were totally ruined by the lead singers attitude problem. Less said about them the better, though the drummer was great – some of the best facial expressions I’ve seen all year.

The venue was totally rammed by 10pm when Loney, Dear march onto the stage and deliver the goods from the word go. You can tell instantly that the rigorous touring schedule has helped the band gel together, its as if they can read one anothers minds as they weave in and out of each others instruments. Malin Ståhlberg watching her leader like a hawk throughout, she harmonises beautifully with Emil’s love-lorn melodies twisting and turning around the music. Flourishes of synth and samples recreate the multi layered texture of the original recordings, but also add an energy that is sometimes missing on record. The band soar through I Am John, which receives the first big cheer of the evening. Sounding tight, the band and audience alike are having a whale of a time now. It would be worth pointing out that, for the first time in a while, it was nice to go to a London show and not be surrounded by too cool for school indie kids. The crowd were responsive throughout and totally mesmerised by the quieter moments of the set. You could hear a pin drop during In With The Arms, now totally stripped back to just acoustic guitar and vocal, Emil didn’t even need to use his microphone during the opening verse. It was a really magical moment, band and audience totally as one now. The City, The Airport closed the main set and is a euphoric live as it is on record. As the band downed tools and left the stage the audience demanded more and the troops hopped back on for two more songs. Not thinking the evening could get any better, they closed the show with a personal favourite I Do What I Can, from the Citadel Band album, still only available from the bands website. With a huge grin on my face, again helped by cheap lager I left the venue knowing I’d just witnessed a show that will stay in my thoughts for a long time to come.

Click for more photos from the show

Downloads
Loney, Dear – I Do What I Can [download mp3 ♫]
Loney, Dear – Over The Mountain [download mp3 ♫]
Loney, Dear – In With The Arms (live in Washington DC) [download mp3 ♫]

Links
Lena Rez [myspace]
Forever Like Red [myspace]
Loney, Dear [official site] [myspace]
The Line Of Best Fit Interview with Emil Svanängen [here]
20 Questions with Emil Svanängen [here]