Despite Lambchop never being a band that could be easily pigeonholed or categorised, there was still a sharp intake of breath amongst fans when Kurt Wagner announced that their latest album, FLOTUS, had been inspired by the sparse electronic beats and hip-hop rhythms championed by Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West. Only half-jokingly, Wagner stated that this latest evolution in Lambchop’s sound (which has always been a fluid project) was due to his ambition of making songs that would fit onto his wife Mary’s phone playlist. Regardless of the reasons behind it, FLOTUS has been a huge critical success, once again revitalising and refreshing the band and attracting an ever-widening circle of fans. On an evening where yet another August gale blew outside, the De La Warr Pavilion was the perfect setting for an intriguing show with one of America’s most interesting bands of the last 20 years.

Support on the night came from Roxanne de Bastion, a London-based Berliner who played a beautiful set of stripped back folk music. ‘Wasteland’ was a particular highlight, an ode to her home city and the changes that it has gone through since the Wall came down. Bouncing (literally at times) between acoustic guitar and piano, and with an incredible control of her vocals, this was a really affecting and captivating performance that won the hearts of all in the room. After a short break, and with no fanfare, Wagner ambled onto the stage, accompanied by pianist Tony Crow and the taciturn bassist Matt Swanson. Giving a brief but warm welcome to the crowd before launching into ‘Writer’, any doubts as to how the vibe of FLOTUS would translate live were instantly dispelled. The acoustics and overall sound in the venue tonight were truly exceptional, and there was a real crispness and clarity to this subtle opener. Wagner’s voice was perfect, possessing a smooth but textured gravel and the band played with the comfort and ease that is to be expected with their longevity.

As they moved into ‘Old Masters’, Wagner’s use of the effects pedal and vocoder had its first moment to shine, enhancing and elevating the piece rather than masking or concealing anything. ‘The Hustle’ was a thing of beauty, though understandably truncated from its 18-minute album version. There is a real poignancy to the lyrics: “I don’t want to leave you ever, and that’s a long, long time/And if by chance that I do, would you be gone?” – the emotions only heightened by an ambient electronic rhythm gliding underneath a skittering beat. On both this and ‘JFK’, there were elements of free jazz from Crow and Swanson as they played along with Wagner’s leading beats and simple guitar style. Even the older tracks played tonight were, if anything, entirely enhanced by the new style. ‘The Decline of Country and Western Civilization’ fitted in entirely with Wagner using a hip-hop style vocal delivery while ‘Garf’ (the oldest track on the night from 1996’s How I Quit Smoking), had a funkier rhythm behind it than on previous outings.

Much of the music had a fragility that seemed to hang in the air like smoke on a breeze, but the three performers tied everything together with just enough force to keep it from overpowering the laid-back sounds. On piano, Crow was a revelation throughout – majorly with his virtuoso playing of course, but also by playing the perfect host with his endearing range of ‘dad-joke’ banter. On the opposite side of the stage, Swanson was the yin to Crow’s yang with a wordless but perfect mastery of the bass guitar adding up to a perfect whole. These warm relationships, fostered over many years of playing and recording together, were so inclusive that it cast a spell over the room. It was as if everybody had been transported to a cosy bar in Nashville, and the band were playing just for kicks – even taking requests for the encore before settling on ‘My Blue Wave’. As a hugely satisfying night with one of modern music’s true mavericks drew to an end, the audience was left hoping that Lambchop will always continue to wander down interesting musical avenues such as this.

Jamie MacMillan

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