First Aid Kit in Vicar Street on November 25th 2012

After selling out The Workman’s in February of this year, First Aid Kit return to the slightly more spacious environs of Vicar Street on a wet and wintery November evening. With a majestic sophomore album under their belts in ‘The Lion’s Roar’, the Söderberg sisters have been garnering deserved praise for their songwriting chops and crystalline harmonies. Tonight sees them joined by a drummer, the two sisters side by side leading the charm offensive with one perfect moment following another. We’ve just come in from the cold though, so before that we want some warming up.

An instant hush descends on the venue as Idiot Wind – Amanda Bergman – enters alone, greets us and sits behind the keys. A laid back set follows with Bergman switching between keys and acoustic guitar. Find The Rhythm In the Noise, a song about a dark place she grew up in Sweden – “dark, but fun” – lilts gently before she straps on an acoustic for the next couple. Having “managed to learn two songs on guitar” for the tour, Springsteen’s I’m On Fire displays a touch of Tracy Chapman in the vocal and the crowd has now swelled nicely. She knows that the latter of the two is good and practically dances the guitar off herself before returning to the keys for the final two songs. It’s a well received set and a reverential crowd, and as Bergman humps her own gear off the stage the ambience has been successfully set for the headliners.

The stage darkens, woodland imagery is projected on the backdrop and First Aid Kit enter to unsecured ambient noises. The remarkable vocal harmonies are to the fore right from the off for In The Morning, the flowing dresses of the sisters and the backdrop adding to the organic feel of the night. The chiming intro to Blue banishes the darkness once and for all, a sweet melancholic early-set treat. Our Own Pretty Ways is dedicated to Pussy Riot, fast country propelled by their “Viking of the North” on drums. The set is interspersed with humour from the band, never more so when they are talking up the deluxe version of ‘The Lion’s Roar’ on sale at the merch stand. It’s contents are detailed, the sisters exchanging dramatic ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaahs’ to general merriment in the room. Marianne’s Son follows, a bittersweet tale completely at odds with the funny banter.

Johanna dons an autoharp While Klara takes vocals for New Year’s Eve before one of the magical moments of the night. “We thought we’d abandon modern technology for this one” says Johanna as they come to the front of the stage and sing Ghost Town unamplified. With just acoustic guitar and vocals, there is a murmur from the crowd singing gently along – a beautiful moment that elicits spontaneous laughter from the musicians and the crowd, and a unifying moment most bands could only dream of. One chap at the front comes in early on a vocal line and everyone cracks up, before the crowd take over on the high vocal for the ending.

A false start leads to more laughter on and off stage before To A Poet, slowly building then with the drums pounding that bit harder and the girls’ hair flailing all over the place. A further spine-tingle comes in the form of a gorgeous Emmylou. The bass drum starts to punch along and the crowd whoop until the music cuts out and it’s Klara singing unaccompanied. The audience takes over then on the second go round, giving as good as the band. The almost Celtic vibe of I Met Up With The King quietens then regains itself, switching to a freakout finale with a snippet of Seven Nation Army, while closer The Lion’s Roar elicits more headbanging and dancing from the band. Silence and darkness descends, a few seconds respite before the band lash back in to rock it out.

Do you want us to play another song?” shouts Johanna dramatically before their take on Paul Simon’s America. The drummer returns for a stomper in the form of Sailor Song before being upstanding and counting in King Of The World. Idiot Wind reappears to lend her vocal and then, all too soon, it’s over. It’s nearing that time when gig of the year discussions start coming up. Tonight’s gig – one of the most pleasing, easy-going and smile-inducing of 2012 – will be somewhere at the top of that list.

 

First Aid Kit Photo Gallery

Photos: Kieran Frost