Louis London are hitting their stride, showing maturity and promise beyond the early stages of their career. Following the resounding success of their first ever Pozible campaign, the band confidently launched their second EP The Big Deep with a string of local shows, finishing up in Melbourne. It seems that their hard work has paid off with latest singles “This Night Time” and “We’re Not Alone”, receiving some well-deserved airplay and their EP picking up kudos overseas. An intimate gig at GoodGod Small Club over the weekend was a chance to see what the fuss was about, as the quintet took to the stage with special guest You Am I guitarist, Davey Lane.
Davey Lane and his band made the trek from Melbourne and despite the scarcity of a crowd were in good spirits, delivering gems of crass, well-timed humour. In between making fun of their drummer who’s a dead ringer for Ringo and taunting the bar keep into making them drinks, the laid back foursome punched out some great hard edged rock with a Beatles-que psych tinge to it. From the catchy bouncing riffage and quirky harmonisation in “Ronnie and My Baby” to the brash funky bop of “You’re The Cops, I’m The Crime”, the band produced an explosive sound that claimed the small space. Lane’s resonating, accented vocals were somewhat hypnotic, as he treated the audience to a couple of new songs off upcoming EP Tymes Two, before finishing up a really fun and casual set.
The tiny club room quickly reached capacity during Louis London’s set-up, air crackling with excited energy. A chilled intro raised a few screams from the crowd, leading into the expansive and vibrant sounds of “Grand”, the first track off The Big Deep. “Old L.A’s” summery calypso bass lines were executed with great panache by a very cool Karl Fernandes, whilst Ed Saloman unleashed his power house voice, nailing every shrill high note. Watching the band vibe off each other was a joyous affair, further strengthened by an equally ecstatic crowd enthusiastically belting out lyrics to “Hardly Hear You” as they danced along. It’s apparent the band has a few female and male admirers, considering they’re not a bad looking bunch and quite humble, judging by Saloman’s generous thank yous to Davey Lane and their supporters during a guitar swap.
“Raise the Crown”, with its jammy bass is every bit as atmospheric, rich and soulful live, Saloman is exhausting to watch, his face straining as he mournfully belts out beautifully written lyrics entwined with lovely backing harmonies. The emotional charge carried by his voice proves heart stopping, drawn out in slow sweet ballad “To the Edge and Back”. There are some interesting change-ups along the way including a really funky 90’s style RnB section during “Go Quietly”, studded with sultry bass runs. A swelling up strum hails in the surfy transcendental vibe of brilliantly uplifting “We’re Not Alone” and it seems that the crowd are unsatisfied with the band leaving things there. Fervent and rowdy chants of ‘one more song!’ bring Louis London back for an encore, cheers going up for the wailing catchy intro to ‘This Night Time” accompanied by moody chords and jangly percussion. The night reaches its climax with audience members gleefully trying their hand at crowd surfing the tiny area.
Louis London live up to their raucous party atmosphere reputation, putting on an entrancing and lively performance that showcases great skill in producing music that’s diverse, thoughtfully written and easy to connect with. It’s exciting to think of the burgeoning potential which awaits the band as they continue to evolve.
The Big Deep is now available through iTunes >> https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/the-big-deep/id731230182
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