Live Review: The Antlers, Hayden Calnin

Exploring the emotional depths of a double-header that might be described as the musical equivalent of open-heart surgery, versatile one-man folkie-boffin Hayden Calnin delivered what seemed like highly personal songs. Having brought along what looked like an entire bedroom studio, he switched from guitar to keys to live looping while his laptop filled in the spaces. A man who very much wears his influences on his sleeve (Bon Iver, Low, James Blake) some songs did tend to get bogged down by Calnin’s insistence on including a long pause after every sung line. While it was a good turn-out for an unbilled support act, the fact that most of the crowd remained seated at the back suggested that Calnin’s almost confrontationally soul-baring music was best enjoyed at a distance.

Softly-spoken and unwaveringly polite, The Antlers’ leadman Peter Silberman thanked the support act, festival organisers and us for helping get he and his band as far away as possible from their hometown of New York where the temperature was a challenging one degree Celsius. Opening tentatively with the lush, horn-adorned soundscape, Palace, the slightly awkward beginning suggested that as good as The Antlers’ songs are, some of them were going to dig their heels in and refuse to translate into a live setting. The introduction of Kettering and it’s slow-but-irresistible build of energy, however, changed all that. From there, the band seemed to find something of a groove – not that The Antlers are in any way funky – and a little momentum, which was confirmed with the unflinching missive I Don’t Want Love. Consistently throughout their set, the critical importance of trumpets to The Antlers’ sound was evident, with long, swelling notes of human warmth contrasting with Silberman’s desperate themes, which are consummated in desolate, slow-burning music to sway to, with or without your better half.

The sweet lure of Refuge brought the band back for the encore, while the heartbreak holocaust of Epilogue, possibly their most gut-wrenching work, completed the night along with some unexpectedly nifty fretwork from Silberman. The Antlers might not be the sort of band who grip you through sheer force of personality or volume, but there’s something rare and indelible about their music that was present tonight and would linger on in those who experienced it.