Lucius

Venue:

Brudenell Social Club

Date: 09/04/2016

A proper Saturday Night gig in a proper Saturday Night Venue.

Jess Wolfe, Holly Laessig are striking; looking like they are members of some New Age Cult, they run onto stage in 1970s style, science fiction robes, heads shaved back and sides and the rest of their hair hennaed. The three guys in the group, all with hipster beards, take up a line behind them and they are straight into the music. Eclectic music it is too: taking in 1960s girl group pop, 1970s folk, country and western, and 1980s New Wave. Given the influences – and the fact they come from New York – they feel like an East Coast version of Haim, without the bass-face; in fact they haven’t got a bassist at all. What they do have in abundance is old fashioned, hook-based, power pop, laden with the girls’ sugar-sweet, tight harmonies and the guys angular instrumentation.

They’ve got plenty of confidence too. At one point, thanks to their radio mikes, Jess and Holly wander into the crowd and just keep on singing their hearts out. That done, they sit on the stage edge and lead us into an acapella sing-along to Elvis’s Can’t Help Falling in Love. They do pitch perfect versions of crowd favourites like Turn it Around,Wilderwoman, and the Goldfrapesque Born Again Teen. There is a bit of Donna Summer in their disco number Almost Makes Me Wish for Rain. Then on comes a 1950’s style Grand Ole Opry microphone stand and the girls hit the hypnotic harmonies of the acoustic Dusty Trails.

Jeez they are good.

If this sounds interesting, just listen to singing Dusty Trails live in the next post.

The audience:

Mixed. from late teens to mid-fifties. More to the older side.

It made me think..

Songs with hooks are great.

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