Zola Blood - The Lexington, London 02/12/14

08 December 2014, 17:30 | Written by Kathleen Prior

(Live)

(Zola Blood)

It was in the immediate aftermath of Glastonbury that Zola Blood released their debut. When my ears were overdosed on beats and my toes were all tapped out, "Grace" suddenly sprung up like a beacon of
iridescent serotonin that beamed through my languishing blues.

Shrouded in secrecy, Zola Blood started something of a blogging frenzy. “Meridian” followed soon after, reaching the top of the fabled hype chart. The band quickly clocked hundreds of thousands of streams.

Fast forward and the formerly illusive Hackney four-piece have stepped into the limelight. Tonight is their second gig, and a second sell out. The buzz has been such that the venue has already doubled in size, a fact obviously not lost on the band, who look a little daunted as they take to The Lexington’s stage.

Complete with a new guitarist, they tinker with their equipment, rather innocuous and backlit in blue. It's pleasing to see actual instruments on stage; a real band making live sounds and not just identikits pushing buttons on a laptop.

With a nod they start the rippling low-fi electronica of “Eyes Open”, with its slow soft thud of a bassline and melodramatic guitar. The staccato chorus and a rolling rhythm have the crowd bobbing in unison. It plays seamlessly into “Pieces of The Day”, a song not on the recent Meridian EP that chronicles a night bus journey home.

The band are fresh from a year of writing and recording, and their nerves are palpable. There’s a sense of perfectionism in both their recordings and on-stage; they are muted, focused, but visibly relish the eager reception of the crowd. Previously subtle textures in songs from the EP become more prominent in the live environment, allowing for a much heavier, more polyphonic sound.

In a recent interview, they discussed their meticulous approach to songwriting. Sounds get vetoed and ideas re-examined until everyone is happy. This same precision is apparent here, but at times I find myself willing them to engage more with the crowd and less with their instruments.

New offering “See the Sights” stands out, starting with a delicate vocal line of “crossed wires in the haze” and building into crescendo of overlapping synthesisers and sub bass. Predictably though, it’s the ethereal “Grace” and “Meridian” that receive the most vivid reaction and are where the band look most comfortable. Upon crunchy industrial riffs soars a haunting falsetto driven by minimal drums – these tracks really are exquisite.

The band aim to create “electronic music with soul”. Tonight they strike a little clinically but nevertheless carve a niche somewhere between the geek-sleek of Caribou and murky menace of Moderat. Zola Blood are a band still finding their feet, but doing so with an impressive sound already at their fingertips.