Over the years The Lexington, based in North London, has gathered a reputation for putting on some of the best up and coming bands. Tonight is no different. This show comes as part of The Line Of Best Fit’s five day festival, showing off some of the blogs most hotly tipped bands for 2017, aptly named ‘Five Day Forecast’.
Gracing the stage with laid back tones, Swimming Tapes open the night. Shimmering guitars and buttery vocals adorned with baggy shirts, the five-piece bring their pensive indie pop with a punch. Playing singles released over the past year and some new material, the set seems to effortlessly flow from song to song without sounding overbearing. ‘Alison’ is a personal highlight which showcases Robbie Reid and Louis Price’s impeccable vocal harmonies. The two singers are totally balanced, with neither taking more of the limelight from the other, almost as if their psyches have bled into each other and a harmonious ambivalent aura has filled the room.
Klangstof wow the crowd with their infectious brand of jilted alt rock consisting of outlandish synths and sparse arrangements. Playing music that would perfectly set the mood on a late night stroll through the snow dusted woods of Scandinavia, there’s an element of fragility in Koen van de Wardt’s voice which makes their performance all the more special.
Early on ‘Close Eyes to Exit’ epitomises what Klangstof are about. There’s a lot more than meets the eye though, for starters the subtlety of the builds in their songs is very graceful, catching the attention of everyone in the room. Combining the musical prowess of Radiohead and the quirks of Alt-J, the bands use of texture is on another level. ‘Hostage’ channels the delicacy of early Coldplay with much more bite and tenacity than anything Chris Martin could stomach.
The band close out the set with the ambrosial ‘Amansworld’ and a massive crowd singalong ensues, Van De Wardt leaps out into the crowd during the outro and effortlessly executes the guitar solo, caressing the guitar with a smile on his face. Looking gracious and genuinely humbled, the band leave the stage to much applause and rightly so, the way that the band manipulated the crowd through textures, builds and bloody good songs is really admirable; if you’re in a band take note!
Rounding off our sonic journey, Leif Erikson conclude the event. Bringing a different variety of classic rock, Leif Erikson don’t undersell themselves and why should they? Playing low-key, chilled out rock tunes, Leif Erikson still manage to sound gigantic and abduct the imagination in an electrifying way. The elusive ‘Looking for Signs’ really sets off the crowd, a wonderful, sweet longing for something else, ‘Looking for Signs’ is absolutely massive.
One of the most striking aspects of the bands dynamic is the way they use the guitars, going for the conventional riff driven songs with very melodic solos, but is still very textural in the way that they intertwine with the synths. The ever-modest singer and guitarist, Sam Johnston, really knows how to charm the crowd, not saying too much but you can tell it all from the relaxed yet elated look on his face.
For updates on Swimming Tapes, head to their Facebook and Twitter.
For more information on Klangstof, journey to Facebook and Twitter.
To learn more about Leif Erikson, connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.
