First Aid Kit
The Enterprise, London
23rd February 2009
Watching bands at the Enterprise can feel often feel like chancing upon something a bit unusual. Maybe it is the climb up the narrow, creaky stairway to escape the Britpop blast of the downstairs soundsystem, or the hole in the toilet wall, or the pokey stage with just enough elevation to perform. But it all suits First Aid Kit, the daintily elusive duo in town tonight.
Most individuals in the crowd are older than the combined age of the youthful talents in front of them, but they lap up each track with infatuated applause. You're Not Coming Home is aired early, the impossible innocence of a song written by Klara Söderberg when she was just 14 coming through in its simple structure.
Tangerine is an eloquent tale of misjudged devotion and the dizzy harmonising brings it gentle grace. Compared to their last performance in London at the back end of last year, a controlled aggression is smouldering beneath the surface now.
This comes to the fore in Jagadamba, You Might; Johanna's backing vocals see her pressed against the mic, biting out barbed lines with passionate intensity. Their songs always feel not fully formed, being cajoled by Klara's cavernous voice and Johanna's sparse autoharp. This unrefined nature lends far greater interest and sincerity than a perfectly polished performance could.
However, their choice of covers is not so accomplished. As headliners, they are called upon to stretch the set and don't yet have the depth of material to comfortably do so. Instead, three covers are played. Fleet Foxes' Tiger Mountain Peasant Song is touching, filled with courtesy and clarity, and especially juicy due to the bearded band playing across the road at the Roundhouse the very same night.
But a version of Bob Dylan's It Ain't Me Babe, though passable, adds little, while Johnny Cash's I Walk The Line seems hollow – both lack inspiration and trigger karaoke comparisons. A new song, Hard Believer, is corny and forgettable too. Nevertheless, the blip is obliterated by I Met Up With The King. Desperate, deep vocals from Clara are complimented by sparse accompaniment and the warped insight is back.
There's an awful lot of talent yet to come out of First Aid Kit and plenty of time for it to do so. Some bands never recapture the vitality and audacity of their fledgling shows, but this pair has a style that suggests improvement with experience. They are interesting now, but could be irresistible in the future.
The Enterprise, London
23rd February 2009
Watching bands at the Enterprise can feel often feel like chancing upon something a bit unusual. Maybe it is the climb up the narrow, creaky stairway to escape the Britpop blast of the downstairs soundsystem, or the hole in the toilet wall, or the pokey stage with just enough elevation to perform. But it all suits First Aid Kit, the daintily elusive duo in town tonight.
Most individuals in the crowd are older than the combined age of the youthful talents in front of them, but they lap up each track with infatuated applause. You're Not Coming Home is aired early, the impossible innocence of a song written by Klara Söderberg when she was just 14 coming through in its simple structure.
Tangerine is an eloquent tale of misjudged devotion and the dizzy harmonising brings it gentle grace. Compared to their last performance in London at the back end of last year, a controlled aggression is smouldering beneath the surface now.
This comes to the fore in Jagadamba, You Might; Johanna's backing vocals see her pressed against the mic, biting out barbed lines with passionate intensity. Their songs always feel not fully formed, being cajoled by Klara's cavernous voice and Johanna's sparse autoharp. This unrefined nature lends far greater interest and sincerity than a perfectly polished performance could.
However, their choice of covers is not so accomplished. As headliners, they are called upon to stretch the set and don't yet have the depth of material to comfortably do so. Instead, three covers are played. Fleet Foxes' Tiger Mountain Peasant Song is touching, filled with courtesy and clarity, and especially juicy due to the bearded band playing across the road at the Roundhouse the very same night.But a version of Bob Dylan's It Ain't Me Babe, though passable, adds little, while Johnny Cash's I Walk The Line seems hollow – both lack inspiration and trigger karaoke comparisons. A new song, Hard Believer, is corny and forgettable too. Nevertheless, the blip is obliterated by I Met Up With The King. Desperate, deep vocals from Clara are complimented by sparse accompaniment and the warped insight is back.
There's an awful lot of talent yet to come out of First Aid Kit and plenty of time for it to do so. Some bands never recapture the vitality and audacity of their fledgling shows, but this pair has a style that suggests improvement with experience. They are interesting now, but could be irresistible in the future.
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