Daughter’s demeanour gave the impression that playing to a venue the size of the Dome was a surreal experience. They should be used to it by now, what with their extensive touring in Europe and appearances at international festivals – and of course the fact that they’d played two sold out shows in the two days before – but the band seemed genuinely overwhelmed that so many people had come to see them, and almost effusively thankful to their fans and the reaction to their second album, ‘Not To Disappear’.
 
Elena Tonra came off as shy and reserved, which instantly endeared the audience to her. Her voice was in fine form and the band reasserted their reputation for originality as they played through their repertoire. Oddly, the majority of their set was made up of old material, with only a few sneaks from the new album coming towards the end of the concert. The new songs they played gave a snapshot of an album that’s more detailed, somehow bigger and more textured, but maintains the roughness and trademark moodiness of their earlier releases. However they clearly meant to leave us wanting more, and anyone expecting a full rendition of the new album was disappointed.
 
It’s a strange experience to listen to Daughter live for over an hour. Their music is deep and dark, and in long doses verges on the oppressive. Their flipside, however, is an uplifting lightness that shines through Tonra’s vocals on occasion. Ultimately they never stick to one ambience for too long, and structured their set well to avoid their music becoming exhausting. Their intentionally sporadic rhythm changes between songs also lent variation to their set: while their drummer showed himself as one of the most important players in the band, as he played careful, attentive and imaginative rhythms which gave each song its own unique shape. The band are of course a unit and were exceptionally well-rehearsed, but it seemed that it was the drummer who must have given many of the songs their personality, when he laid down their foundational rhythms.
 
If there is any criticism to make, it’s that Daughter’s stage show was non-existent. It’s very rare to see a band in the big-time who don’t give the audience physical cues to work with, and it’s not a little bizarre. Granted that jumping around maniacally would have been totally inappropriate for Daughter’s music, but they were statuesque, which seemed equally unsuited to a gig of this size and length. None of the players moved a muscle, with the result that nobody in the entire audience moved a muscle, either. For some of the concert, this stillness worked and helped to draw the focus onto Tonra – but after a short while, this effect wore off and the lack of visual stimulation wore down the audience’s concentration.
 
That is not to say that the crowd had a bad time: on the contrary, they demanded their encore loudly and vigorously, and left, on the whole, delighted with a memorable evening. However the band put their own show down by neglecting a basic and crucial aspect of any concert. They’re on the up, and should be proud of where they are – but also take care not to become complacent.
Ben Noble
 
Website: ohdaughter.com