The Lionheart Brothers
The Lionheart Brothers
Industry, London
Thursday 1st November 2007
by Roshini Isweran
If you went in search of a band tipped to become the next darlings of the indie music scene and your quest led you to Industry on Curtain Road, you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd taken a wrong turn somewhere. The swanky Shoreditch bar seems an unlikely venue for The Lionheart Brothers' only UK date in the midst of their European tour, but then, the Norwegian quintet are anything but predictable.
Beneath the main bar teeming with smartly dressed city folk knocking back elaborate cocktails and discussing annual turnover, lies a far more fitting environment for the five-piece's psychedelic pop stylings. Here in the basement, your average Shoreditch dweller seems much more at home amongst those with jeans of a similar skinniness. The Lionheart Brothers could, at first glance, be mistaken for five of their number if they hadn't gone one step further and draped themselves in seventies garb. As they begin their set, it emerges that their anachronistic appearance is a bit of a clue to their sound.
Tonight they are showcasing tracks from their UK debut album, Dizzy Kiss, to a small but attentive crowd ahead of its release in January. Taking their name from Swedish children's book 'The Brothers Lionheart', their music is reminiscent of a bygone era, full of Beach Boys style harmonies layered over driving guitars, pounding bass drums and atmospheric keyboards. It's a truly psychedelic experience and hugely uplifting. Comprising two former members of Serena Maneesh, The Lionheart Brothers play songs that are far more accessible than those of the band that brought them together, but no less inventive.
The band's shoegaze dream-pop credentials come to the fore with tracks such as Bring It Down with its Tomorrow-Never-Knows-esque drumming. Another song's sinister content about what appears to be a peeping tom is in pleasing contrast to Marcus Forsgren's angelic vocals. During the performance of forthcoming single 50 Souls And A Discobowl, the dingy East London basement is momentarily filled with glorious Californian sunshine.
And they don't just play great tunes. Technically, The Lionheart Brothers are stunning, with Peter Rudolfsen's furious drumming providing the lynchpin to their accomplished sound. Although Forsgren and lead guitarist Morten Oby tend to fall to their knees at particularly dramatic points in a few songs, it seems more sincere than mere pretentious posturing. The reason appears, instead, to be that they genuinely lose themselves in the music, or maybe that it's simply more comfortable down there.
Each song builds to a powerful climax giving the guys plenty of opportunity to rock out to their hearts' content. They create an impressive wall of sound with their expansive instrumental interludes and the crowd, who may have been in need of convincing at the start of the set, are compelled to let the waves of psychedelia wash over them.
It says a lot about their individual talents as musicians that The Lionheart Brothers produce album quality sound while playing live, but at times this can feel a bit too clean to echo the grimier nature of the genre in which their music is rooted. Their performance too can feel a little restrained, as at the end of the set when Oby brandishes his guitar as if it is possessed by some supernatural force. He waves it about wildly but fails to go the extra inch to clinch his rock god status. But then, he was probably more concerned with creating satisfying feedback than looking like a rock star. For once it's a case of substance over style.
For more details about The Lionheart Brothers, including any forthcoming UK tour dates, see their page here on Ents24.
