London Grammar at the Academy 3rd December 2013

The UK’s newest indie darlings London Grammar rolled into town on Tuesday night to play their first sold-out, headline Dublin gig in the Academy. The venue was bursting at the seams as ticket holders squeezed in to hear the trio. Even the usually spacious balcony was packed with music industry folk, who were peering over the bannister, pints in hand, elbowing each other to get a glimpse of the stage.

Following support from Dublin based Benny Smiles, Hannah, Dan and Dot, a.k.a. London Grammar, strolled out shortly after nine, launching straight into Hey Now, the opening track from debut album ‘If You Wait’. Hannah’s vocals are immediately striking and command the attention of a room previously filled with chatter. Her voice is effortlessly rich, intense, often haunting and particularly notable in the popular Wasting My Young Years and Strong.

After several tunes, they loosen up and the audience banter commences. ‘I have this game that I play,‘ Hannah says. ‘I pick my favourite audience member and announce it at the end of the gig, this time I already see five or six people that I like. It’s nice to see you all dancing away considering most of our music is quite miserable.’

Counteracting the ‘miserable’ joke are upbeat songs such as Metal & Dust, Stay Awake and Darling Are You Gonna Leave Me, which are driven by the beat provided by Dot on the bongo. Heads nod in approval. What is also refreshing about the performance is the lack of gadgets; the lighting is paired down to a few effective colour changes that highlight the ‘London Grammar’ logo on the back drop without distracting from the main affair. It’s all beautifully restrained.

‘I better say something as I have a reputation for being the smallest and quietest in the band,‘ Dan says. A quick rebuttal from Hannah in which she calls him ‘a loud git’ has the crowd giggling along with them. Their audience engagement is entertaining and while they seem comfortable and happy to be in Dublin, their mid-song interaction with each other is at times slightly static and it would be nice to see this develop over time.

It is a short and sweet performance, clocking in at one hour on the dot. The encore is a sultry cover of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game, offering silky, soaring vocals, highlighting Hannah’s soprano range and a notable guitar solo from Dan. Short set aside, it was a distinctive gig in a small intimate venue showcasing London Grammar as an intriguing, talented trio and proving they will be ones to watch for years to come.

Photos: Kieran Frost