London GrammarBarely out of high school, singer-songwriter Tim Bettinson is already touring with his band Vancouver Sleep Clinic and the outfit from Brisbane are already securing primo support slots. Bettinson's folksy falsetto warble is accompanied by atmospheric arrangements, which, as the band's name suggests, were born in the dead of night during bouts of insomnia. It's deep late night listening and the blissful chill of tunes like Collapse and Vapour which they have shared on SoundCloud are definitely worth checking out. Unfortunately the intimate tone of their music doesn't quite cast a spell tonight as it washes over most of the audience who are lost in conversation.
The crowd erupts into applause when London Grammar take the stage. There is a lot of love in the room for the trio, who are surfing a huge wave of success following last year's debut album If You Wait. Much like The xx, London Grammar assume an intimacy with their listeners and give us gently heartbreaking tears-before-bedtime torch songs. Tonight the live versions of these songs are more full-blooded and dramatic. Dot Major and Dan Rothman provide the minimal layers of synth and guitar respectively. They're the platform from which Hannah Reid launches herself. The difference now is that she wields the almighty power or her voice like a weapon. As Reid warms up with Hey Now there is fierceness to her delivery. Wasting My Young Years and their cover of Kavinsky's Nightcall are similarly captivating. The delicate beauty of Reid's voice is backed by great strength. There's a definite chemistry within the trio who at times are surprised by the audience's enthusiastic response. Dan Rothman steals our hearts when he wipes tears from his eyes after Shyer and acknowledges that he is completely overwhelmed by what has been an incredible tour. Reid amusingly squashes a creepy-crawly on the keyboard during Interlude and later encourages us to sing along with their sultry cover of Chris Isaak's Wicked Game, but her vocals simply hush the audience.
The band look shocked that almost everyone in the house chooses to sing along with Strong when they eventually return for a one-song encore. London Grammar's continued chart success will inevitably see them playing much larger venues next time around.
