LONDON GRAMMAR PLAY AN ARRESTING SET AT BROOKLYN STEEL

It’s simplistic sensory overload. A vocalist, two instrumentalists and modest light production. Delicate sound coupled with piercing vocals force you to hear every note. London Grammar steals you. Their music builds slowly and then arrests. Those fortunate enough to snag a ticket to the sold-out show at Brooklyn Steel Tuesday night witnessed a unique show and a group who has come into its own.

Lo Moon opened the night. The Los Angeles based group, who recently concluded their venue tours supporting Glass Animals and Air, was the perfect compliment to the headliner. Their lengthy, yet purposeful songs unravel like a good mystery novel. Crisp starts and stops add to the drama of their thoughtful vocals. Lo Moon performed their seven-minute, hit single, “Loveless” and their most recent release “This Is It” before yielding the stage to London Grammar.

Lo Moon

London Grammar was welcomed to a crowd of cheering fans. Listeners waited four years for the London trio to release their second album, Truth Is a Beautiful Thing. Their early success with their debut, If You Wait, was no fluke. Each track on this album is beautifully crafted and explores the harshness that comes with the truth.

London Grammar

LG

They began with the smoldering “Hey Now” and alternated between tracks off both albums. The defiant drumming of Dot Major and playing of Dan Rothman never drowned out the vocals, but instead created a spacious atmosphere for Hannah Reid’s vocals to rest upon. When Reid performed “Rooting For You” without a baseline the crowd stopped. No one spoke and no one raised a cell phone into the air. London Grammar closed with an encore featuring “Oh Woman Oh Man” and “Metal & Dust.”

LG

London Grammar

LG

London Grammar will be on CBS Saturday morning before continuing their tour with stops at Lollapalooza and a number of festivals in Europe. You can also catch Lo Moon at Lollapalooza on August 6th.