Last night Miss deLightful traipsed over to the wonderfully environment of sound that is London's Barbican Hall, so chosen for the magnificent pairing of US indie folk outfit Grizzly Bear and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Having waited for this gig for a couple of months now, anticipation was at a high and as I settled into my seat in the sold-out venue, I used the opportunity to take in the set-up... dangling lightbulbs draped across the stage, decorating the invisible divide between orchestra and band. I couldn't wait til it all began!
Despite starting 20 mins late, the show was pretty bloody good but I'm not sure it was the orchestra that made it so enjoyable. While it did give the songs from the group's latest, and deservedly critically acclaimed album Veckatimest, some extra 'oomph', I was a little underwhelmed at how similar some of the songs sounded to that of their album counterparts.
The two tracks done without orchestral accompaniment also left me a little bewildered, especially considering one of them was the single Two Weeks. I would've thought this would've been the perfect opportunity adding an extra twist to one of the most popular songs on the album, not leave it as is. And they played not long ago in Koko, London, and given people the regular versions with full vigour. But hey, I'm sure they had their reasons.
But back to the point. The gig was thoroughly enjoyable, I imagine the orchestra only made it better but having not seen the band before (with or without orhestra) I can't be sure they wouldn't be amazing on their own lovely lonesomes.
One thing I can be sure of is if you haven't heard Veckatimest, you're a bloody idiot.
Much luv,
S. deL
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