anika in london

I love Union Chapel. For the right bands, the sound of the building just makes lovely sounds sound even lovelier. It’s a beautiful space and it’s always jolly nice to get a cup of tea in a mug while watching a gig.

The Tiny opened the show. They are a duo from Sweden (+10 points) and they are INCREDIBLE. I thoroughly enjoyed their set despite not being familiar with their music, besides delving into a few songs via videos on Youtube. The singer has an amazing voice; she looked like an opera singer taking centre stage and outstretching her arms, singing at the top of her lungs.

Her musical partner added whistling, glockenspiel and cello parts- as well as a ton of charm via pretty much grinning through the whole set. The pair of them were so endearing to watch, you could tell they were really enjoying playing. The singer was really cheery and had the typical Scandinavian oddness laced in through her banter; she was pretty hilarious. Vocally she reminded me of Bjork, through the sheer power of her voice. Sometimes you get singers that are blatantly trying to sound like Bjork, but the similarities were unforced and she was singing completely naturally.

The best part of the set for me is the inclusion of musical saw. When I saw it I couldn’t help but do a massive gasp of joy- I love that instrument! And what a delight to hear it in Union Chapel. I really loved their set and I would definately recommend trying to catch them live.

Next, First Aid Kit. The Swedish sister duo have come a really long way since I first saw them play at Pure Groove over a year ago. Their set is so wonderfully tight and faultless, their voices radiated in Union Chapel and it felt like a really triumphant show. The banter was sweet and endearing, and this time they played with a drummer which added alot to their sound and gave their more rocking moments a boost. They played Tiger Peasant Mountain, their Fleet Foxes cover that helped them garner alot of well deserved attention, and it went down a treat- the acoustics of Union Chapel are made for songs like that. They played songs from their new record as well as their old EP, and reveled in being able to do a totally acoustic song- the whole venue was completely silent.

They left the stage to a standing ovation and came back for two encores, with the last song being performed off the stage in front of the first pew, completely unamplified. It was charming. As I left the venue I walked past the merch stand and there they were selling their own merch and singing happy birthday to a fan. It was very sweet, they seem genuinely lovely and it’s great to see them doing so well. A lovely show indeed.