Live Review: Lilt, Sam Perry, Sarah Pellicano

The relatively new Astor Lounge was the ideal venue for the dreamy sounds that were about to take place Valentine's Day evening. Whether you were holding your sweetheart's hand or flying solo, the fantastical world that was about to take form was where you wanted to be.

Sarah Pellicano casually made her way onto the stage and sang her first song to a mostly empty room. Despite limping slightly from a cold, Sarah stayed positive with knock knock jokes, while attempting, and nailing, the high notes of her melodic, beat-driven electronic set – serenading the room with her most recent single Do You Think? A crowd leisurely formed, celebrating with a cheer for the delightful solo act.

Sam Perry snuck on stage, giving a quick rundown of how he was to produce his sound as a one-man orchestra. Exactly as described, he slowly built up each element using a microphone, effect station and loop pedal. Haunting vocal harmonies led into heavy bass lines and beat-boxed rhythms. He manipulated the songs like a humble craftsman, layering each effect on the slice of delicious audio cake. Although the audience offered hardly a head bob during the performance, perhaps due to the extended length and similarity of the tracks, there was a roaring applause after each song. Sam was observably happy that he pleased the crowd, ending his set with a distorted rendition of Eminem's Back To Reality.  

From beat one, the chatty audience went quiet as Lilt unveiled their first euphoric song. Louise Penman rocked a gold onesie, cradling the audience into a hypnotic state with every glassy note. The blonde songstress clearly had the most stage presence on the night. However, the full band delivered a seamless sound with newest member Dan Firkin on drums. An ill-fitted smoke machine had the room choking on white dust, but Lilt charged on with enthusiasm. Throbbing bass accompanied delicate vocals, creating an ethereal feel in the intimate auditorium. Listening to Can't Hear live confirmed that spending the universal day of love at Astor Lounge was a solid choice.