London Grammar @ Birmingham Academy – 16th February 2014
It was a cold February evening with a queue bending around Bristol Road and the people of Birmingham had braved the cold weather to come out tonight to see the penultimate gig of London Grammar’s UK tour. The night consisted of waiting but as soon as we got inside the O2 Academy, the energy had changed; it was warm, everyone wore a smile on their face, most people, young and old, went to the bar to get a drink and fuel ourselves for the night ahead.
Proceedings kicked off with Khushi, a band that can be described as -onomatopoeic- that sounds as abstract as their name suggested, they displayed an array sounds and styles and acted as a great opening band for tonight’s crowd.
Next to follow were Say Lou Lou, twin sisters that are vocalists. They had great synergy between them and about them, with a unique sound reminiscent of Dream Pop with a contemporary feel , giving great testament to why they made the BBC Sound of 2014 longlist, a sibling act we are sure to hear more of.
After a lengthy wait, we are graced with the presence of London Grammar; Dot Major, Dan Rothman and Hannah Reid. They started their set with ‘Hey Now’, blending old with the new and playing a variety of instruments showing off their musical talents and hooking the crowd instantly.
Hannah’s vocals were gracefully connecting with every notes her bandmates played. The trio throughout the night were water tight in there performances and extremely humbled by the fact they had sold out The O2 Academy in Birmingham, a venue they had played one year earlier but in one of smaller rooms of this iconic venue.
As the night went on the music got better and after every three songs a member of Grammar’s trio would take the mic and express their personal gratitude to the fans, behind the scenes staff and tour manager. Pretty much sounds like a practise speech for next weeks BRITS where they are up for best breakthrough act. You sort of get the feeling that the whirlwind that came along after they had uploaded ‘Hey Now’ on Youtube had taken them quite by surprise. The crowed were truly gripped by the performances and the track ‘Stay Awake’ really caught our attention, with an engaging lighting setup that transcended their performances into a theatre spectacle. After an incredible set of eclectic instruments crossing over with a grand piano and the best use of a bongo drum I have witnessed recently.
They left the crowd to a well deserved thunderous applause and, after staying backstage for less than 30 seconds, they wrapped the evening up perfectly with ‘If You Wait’ and ‘Metal Dust’.
London Grammar’s meteoric rise is the music industry over the past twelve months is somewhat of a fairy tale… with a digital twist. The new-meeting-the-old similar to their music.Whilst other young people their age are trying to get on the property/career ladder these guys took a plunge straight after University and went to London, added Grammar to the name of where they were located and like magic a new uber trio of music is formed. Blood, sweat and tears has gone into this band and it can certainly be felt through their music and performances. This is only the start, you have a feeling the best is yet to come from London Grammar, and long may it continue if it produces live performances of this calibre.
Review – Chadwick Jackson
Photos – Katja Ogrin