Lykke Li, the Swedish chanteuse who has grown in stature since her pop redefining 'Youth Novels' album takes her show to the world famous Hammersmith Apollo in the West End of London for a gig that matches the scope of the grandeur now associated with her music.
Lykke Li and her supporting band come out swamped in black, an indication of the sombre tone of her latest album and the achingly heart wrenching subject matter attached to it. They spare no time for pleasantries as they cascade into the title track from her new album 'I Never Learn'. A track that is arguably her most confessional to date, built upon discordant piano and guitars it provides an almost theatrical texture that has no problems enveloping one of the most grandiose venues in London.
'Sadness is a Blessing', continues the simmering tension that builds towards a huge drum led crescendo that drips with vocal emotion and firmly secures the crowd for tonight's proceedings. The tone of the gig has been set and this isn't a gig that is going to work upon it's ability to lighten the mood but rather to find the beauty in the melancholy of one woman's heartbreak.
There is time to lighten up proceedings with a piano led cover of Drake's 'Hold On, We Are Going Home' although she manages to transform the track there is something that sits a bit Radio One live lounge with it that seems to shirk it out of place with the rest of the set.
From this point forward it's very much a crowd-pleasing set that delights new and old fans alike. Her breakthrough hit (and the song that still reserves the most reaction) 'Little Bit' is a song crafted by a true music lover, combining sounds that range from bossa nova to motown soul into a sensual little package that makes it sound like pop from a futuristic age. 'I Follow Rivers' provides an unassuming yet captivating moment that eeks it's way into the crowd and perhaps best encapsulates why her off beat pop music clearly differentiates herself from the majority of other artists plying their trade to the masses at the moment.
An encore of 'Love Me Like I'm Not Made of Stone' and 'Heart of Steel' doesn't quite reach the heights of what went before but it bookends the set perfectly from a woman whose heart has been broke and the mending of that period of her life. The usual London crowd also tail off towards the end, a case of 'we've heard the hits, now we fancy a loud chat'. Despite the minor irks its a gig that shows her continued trajectory towards stardom.
FUTURE GIGS
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