Review: London Grammar return to Birmingham with a cinematic set
- London Grammar played a stunning set at Birmingham’s Town Hall on Tuesday April 4th 2017
- The show was part of three last minute intimate dates recently announced
- With a set consisting of old and new material, London Grammar cemented their claim as one of the most intricately stunning live bands in the country
Following on from their critically acclaimed debut If You Wait, London Grammar have locked themselves away to work on the ‘difficult second album’ and tonight marks their eagerly anticipated return to the Midlands as part of a three-date intimate tour.
A last minute addition to the bill – Jade Bird, kicks the night off with her Country, Blues, Americana influenced sound and instantly builds a rapport with her personable stage presence; a nice juxtaposition to her songs about wedding runaways, divorce and prostitution. A standout track was Velvet, her story of a family trip to Switzerland, her 30 minute set is a welcome introduction to the sounds of this rising star and no doubt we’ll see much more of Jade soon.
The lights dip and out step Dot, Daniel and finally Hannah in turn, each to a louder applause and their return starts with an acapella opening to ‘Rooting for You’. Fully complimented by the acoustics of Birmingham Town Hall, London Grammar chill the spine of every member of the audience.
Tonight’s set consists of the perfect cocktail of old and new tracks as they remind the audience how the journey started with ‘Hey Now’ and ‘Strong’; while we’re fully on board with new album tracks like ‘Big Picture’ and ‘Hell to the Liars’ – each song feeling more cinematic. London Grammar have found a winning formula starting with the strong piercing vocals of Hannah Reid building up to a climax with the full force of their electronic sound.
The strength of London Grammar’s live performance is around their ability to bring to life the sounds of their records while adding a live dimension as multi-instrumentalists and accompanying light displays to make a room of any size feel intimate and atmospheric.
With the second album, ‘Truth Is a Beautiful Thing’ and performances at some of the top UK and European festivals including Parklife and Glastonbury to look forward to, London Grammar are back and as strong as ever.
