Music / Reviews
Review: Youth Lagoon, Thekla
The special nature of Youth Lagoon’s current UK tour grew considerably last week when Trevor Powers announce it would be his last under the moniker, moving on to new projects. As such, it’s likely that everyone in attendance at Thekla tonight won’t get to see Youth Lagoon play live again.
Powers knows this, and rips through tracks from his most recent album Savage Hills Ballroom with infectious enthusiasm and energy. The Idaho native relocated to Bristol early in 2015 to record Savage Hills Ballroom just round the corner from Thekla at Toybox Studios in Portland Square with producer Ali Chant, proving another reason why tonight is more special than most. It’s also his first show on a boat.
Youth Lagoon has come so far since his shy, introverted first steps with 2011’s The Year of Hibernation, and when a couple of the tracks from his debut – Cannons and July – do get an outing, they’re considerably beefed up with live drums and a vigour that takes them far away from their initial form.
is needed now More than ever
Powers has ditched the piano stool for this tour, standing up and subsequently working his way towards becoming a real frontman and showman. Keys-less sections of certain songs including Officer Telephone let him roam in a crazed manner, the stage barely containing him. It comes to a head in encore opener Dropla, in which Powers commands the front of the stage, gesturing and swaying like a man possessed, inches from the front row.
Every element of the songs on Youth Lagoon’s three albums are made louder, brasher and more visceral tonight, and their somewhat restrained recorded forms seem to be restricting him at times. A gorgeous, emotional solo rendition of 17 closes the show, and it seems like a send-off to the quiet, unobtrusive Trevor Powers. On tonight’s showing, his next musical venture is set to be a whole lot more intense.
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
