Tonight, I saw new things – namely London’s ICA venue – different things (have you seen the hair of The Lemon Twigs?!) and things that are exceptionally hard to describe – try getting your head around the prog – 70s rock of The Lemon Twigs. The 4AD showcase, featured newbies, Pixx, Australia’s Methyl Ethel and the musical curveball that is The Lemon Twigs. The latter have become the staple point of the hipster’s musical guideline in recent weeks after topping the new music charts and similarly gaining attention for their image that is so edgy, it carries a ‘sharp corners’ warning sign.

Pixx aka Hannah Rodgers began affairs on the night with an astrological, spaced out affair. Dominated with electronic samples and swooning rhythm sections, Pixx performed segments of her acclaimed EP, Fall In, to a relatively quiet room that caught imaginations early on. The shadowy set honoured electronics inspired by the likes of Aphex Twin whilst sitting nicely within a vocal bracket similar to the likes of Ellie Goulding.

Methyl Ethel followed suit, the Australian trio graced Brighton back in June and their set three months on demonstrated that the group are worthy of larger spaces than The Prince Albert. Their debut album, Oh Inhuman Spectacle picks at psychedelia, American 90s alt-rock and carefully articulated electronica. Their debut is a stone that falls not too far from the likes of Deerhunter with the way it carefully builds, guitar parts layer upon sparse segments of the song whilst the vocals articulate tensions. The likes of ‘Idée Fixe’ swamped the ICA’s monitors with brash bass grooves and assertive drumming, their staple song, ‘Twilight Driving’ moves with purpose in a similar way to Built To Spill’s ‘Goin’ Against Your Mind’ does and the lush ambience of ‘Rogues’ develops and shimmers as a song. Methyl Ethel are proving themselves to be 2016s wizards of anything reverberated.

The Lemon Twigs sealed 4AD’s showcase with their 70s inspired baroque-pop. The brothers who hail from Long Island, New York frequently swap instruments, flaunt around the stage in a colourful swirl and gesture towards the crowd with an obscure sense of innocent confidence. Having only officially released a single double A-side, the duo, joined by two accomplices on drums and bass provide the substance to backup their mesmerising style. The carnival-pop of ‘These Words’ is a throwback to Sgt Pepper’s era Beatles – it drops in tempo, keyboards dance around vocals and a huge choral sing-along booms over the top. The 17-year-old, Michael D’Addario and 19-year-old, Brian D’Addario show a sincere understanding of the music they are aiming to produce, it is neither a parody of the what they obviously base themselves upon nor is it boring to watch. In a similar way to the likes of Foxygen and Fly Golden Eagle, the music is original in its own right.

‘As Long As We’re Together’ catches the brothers at their finest onstage. Performing eclectic dancing, the duo look like something straight out of a Michael Jackson dance routine. Their youthful bliss onstage invites the audience into a parallel universe – something the hustle and bustle of London often needs. It is colourful, carefree and since it is only their third show in the city – it looks like a promising fourth return is certainly on the cards.
Tom Churchill

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