Ladyhawke at The Academy on the 6th of November 2012

Ladyhawke came to the Academy on her Blue Eyes tour on Tuesday. While her most recent album, ‘Anxiety’, wasn’t received as well as her eponymous debut, Ladyhawke still managed to draw in a decent crowd. Support band Dirty Epics put on a lively performance and warmed the crowd up nicely for the main event.

Back of the Van was a bright start, showcasing what Ladyhawke is all about, a fairly standard song that comes alive with a catchy chorus. Blue Eyes followed, and sounds very powerful live. Anxiety and Professional Suicide were less exciting, and the band seemed in danger of fading away until they played Magic, a truly fantastic track, that quickly regained any lost momentum. Love Don’t Live Here was a highlight, featuring a slow build up before bursting into life with an exceptional, rocky chorus. An interesting cover of White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane provided something different in the encore. Gone Gone Gone was a return to more familiar territory with yet another catchy chorus, before the outstanding My Delirium stole the show with that irresistible riff.

The band had a good mix of songs from both albums, and interestingly it seemed as though the songs from the second album travel very well; they sound much more raw and grittier live, but the outstanding vocals keep the sound from becoming too rough. Interaction with the crowd was kept to a minimum, instead the band breezed through their set list. There were times where it seemed as if the band were losing a bit of energy, but the constant stream of ridiculously catchy choruses kept the momentum going. An impressive performance.

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Photos: Alessio Michelini