Live Review

Lulu And The Lampshades – The Lexington, London

• 9th Feb 2011

On first arrival at the Lexington, on the eastern end of the regeneration of Kings Cross (for regeneration see adding £1 on to everything, an international train statio, and a few more Tesco Metros) a gaggle of individuals were sat down at the front of the venue listening to the music. I hoped I had been in a musical time machine were we could talk about revolutionary politics and the ridiculous price of hemp trousers. Not quite, but the mood of the first band felt you could break the fourth wall of sitting down at a gig, with a cellist and capo-ed electric guitar picking away with tender music. Monument Valley were excellent support for the bands who came later. They set the scene for London folk, strummed guitars and good vocals, with a side order of jellied eels. These were a band you could go and see again, playing that fine indie-Belle & Sebastian line of sounding cheery belying rather sorrowful lyrics.

The Lexington itself is a decent venue. Though it is virtually impossible to catch all of the first support in there with a queue snaking around the downstairs of the pub, we thought it better to sit down and wait for the storm to pass. Up through the rickety building it feels like a bit of a relic of old fashioned gig venues, plastered posters on the wall, stairs designed for one person that has two trying to awkwardly pass with a couple lingering there waiting for the cloakroom. It is messy, but homely. The venue itself has a good sized stage with a raised area at the back for that nice edge of superiority and view over the huddled masses further below. The gig was populated a bunch of friendly sorts, the type of gig that you’ll have a bit of beer spilled on you, but someone will try and pay for it to be professionally cleaned.

Tristram were the surprise act of the evening. A four piece consisting of one of a jazz drummer who added so much to the performance by adding strange, complex beats for the lead, bassist and cellist to play with. The band gelled well, with the lead more contemplative than what would come next from Lulu & The Lampshades – a performance that was happy and cheery, sort of like someone who had just completed a fiendish crossword and found a tenner on the floor. They worked well, with a singer with the charisma of an indie lead, looking moody and sincere during the performance, and then made-up that anyone came in between songs. It got you tapping your feet, but any more activity would have been out of place – I could not imagine a mosh pit or fight at this gig, unless someone said that didn’t like Jeffrey Lewis or they didn’t buy free range eggs.

Go and see this band, they offer something different to the sort of new-new wave, with the likes of Beach Fossils imitating to a degree the rhythmic monotone of Joy Division. Melodies can be found, and their extended jams offer some swirling music by talented players who can understand each other on stage.

Lulu and the Lampshades are grouped together with some more recent folk-pop with London accents that have the ability to get on to cutesy phone adverts that soften your senses with melodic sounds only to Trojan horse like emerge and spike you with unheard of billed minutes. In fact, they are reduced by saying this, a talented band who can play their instruments well and who are tight, with not an out of time off beat xylophone in an ear’s shot.

That is not to say there music is not cute and merry. It is, but isn’t just saccharine, it has melodies and harmonies that seem effortless yet are hit with perfection. On stage, a floating parade of musicians come on with flute, occasional trumpet and drum accompaniment, with the lead girls to stage left. A particular crowd favourite was a bluesy number ‘Cups’ that used as its rhythm the hitting of soup pots on a table in a party piece after Sunday lunch sort of way. The EP lead Cold Water has a plinky-plonky style with nice little jolly trumpet popping in every so often.

The music itself was cleverer than mass produced music designed for Juno-esque angst. They are a band who understand the maths of music, with clever time signatures that change throughout, adding a dynamism to the performance. This band isn’t the cool kings of melancholic music, but the nice indie girls at school who got a grade 7 in harp!

Go and see these bands if you have the time – perfect for an evening that you want to knock you out of the chilly late-winter blues.