It was like the worst magic trick fans ever witnessed. London Grammar delivers a stellar album, toured and played multiple festivals and then poof – they disappear. It has been three years, five months, and 28 days since their debut album, If You Wait was released. But who’s counting…? Maybe those of us who celebrated the release of “Rooting For You” on New Years Eve instead of the new year.
Over the past couple of months, the London-based trio has teased their comeback with two tracks off their long-awaited second album and a handful of live performances. Fans jockeyed for a chance to purchase tickets to see London Grammar in an intimate setting. On Thursday night, they brought their ethereal sounds to Good Room in Brooklyn.
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Promptly at 8:30pm streams of white light shot up from the floor creating a curtain of light around London Grammar. Then the deep keys of “Nightcall” started. Their cover transforms the somber and static Kavinsky original into a more emotive and spectral song. That impassioned quality flowed through the hour-long set. The crowd was quiet as it listened to Hannah Reid manipulate her vocals with expert clarity to conjure different spatial and dream-like states. They cried to “Hey Now” and whispered along to “Strong” as Reid confessed to being “wide-eyed” and “caught in the middle” while navigating the fallout of a relationship.
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The majority of the set encompassed tracks from their first album and EP. But we can understand the delay in producing new music. Their music is always high-stakes. Nothing is done half-assed. London Grammar’s music tempts, starves and then delivers. “Wasting My Young Years” has a strong build and then right at the peak, the climax falls away as Reid’s vocals pull you back to ground. Their newest single, “Big Picture,” is similar, while adding a more direct effect. We look forward to hearing more music from the trio in the months to come.
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Keep an ear out for new material. London Grammar is set to play Heartland Festival, Parklife, TRNSMT Festival and Lollapalooza in Paris this summer. Additional dates are to follow.
Article: Alx Bear
