After queuing for over an hour amongst other excited fans, I finally entered Coalition to see one of the acts I most wanted to see at this year's Great Escape Festival – Little Dragon seemed to be the top-pick for every one else on the Thursday night as it was completely rammed (especially near the front) that you could hardly breath let alone move – but it was more that worth it. Having got their name from lead singer Yukimi Nagano’s “fuming tantrums” which she used to throw whilst recording in the studio, the transference of this energy and ‘drama queen’ nature to the stage held everyone in complete awe.
 
Little Dragon (Nagano) glided onto the stage assuming immediate and complete control with awe inspiring effect. The audience tracked her every move with precision, mouths open wide in amazement, entranced by her every move.
 
Nagano seems to have the perfect balance of commanding the stage without ever being over the top or indeed too egocentric – at no moment during the set did she break out of the character she had created. I almost had to force my eyes away from her to see what the other band members were doing but they were also excellent both musically and performance wise – yet at the same time, it was clear that they were leaving centre stage for Nagano and allowing her to do her thing.
 
Little Dragon mostly played tracks from their new album ‘Nabuma Rubberband’ (Out May 13th 2014)  and much to the delight of the audience, Little Dragon also gave us what we all wanted – ‘Ritual Union’ which had the whole crowd bursting into song on every chorus. Someone standing to my right was even singing the harmony (which is on the record) – with the person standing to my left was singing the original melody, but unfortunately, incredibly out of tune which spoilt the song a little but still left us all feeling very united.
 
I much preferred seeing Little Dragon in a smaller, more intimate space than when I saw them play on the main stage at Secret Garden Party 2012 as it highlighted the incredible performance of Nagano and made us feel part of their musical journey. Little Dragon are playing @ Somerset House (London) on July 20th 2014 which unfortunately is the closest they are coming to Brighton until November but well worth the trip!
Eva Rose