We have lots of beach huts in the city of Brighton and Hove. They're extremely expensive sheds, with no water, no electricity and no privacy. A dash of colour, and their location (along the prom, no less), makes them iconic. At the moment they'll be covered with a shelf of snow, sat squat to the ground, just being. Stationed in neat lines, they are - in all seasons - stunning.
While the beach huts are a prominent feature of our fair town, the band of a similar name, Beach House, prefer to stay in the shadows. Beach House are from Baltimore, a somewhat imposing city. Perhaps it's the kind of place where the indie kids stand in dark corners, hide every facial expression, and present with effortless cool. A house is harder to veil than a hut, but for the individuals compromising this house, the veil proves a huge success.
The dominance of three radiant pyramids, and a wall of small twinkling stars, set the scene for subtle backlighting and a band of rakish musicians shown only in silhouette.
The music began with the smooth, gentle surf of Gila, a track now three years old, and - as it would all night - Victoria Legrand’s voice stole the room with a commanding ethereal force. Without a hint of wishy-washy trilling or excruciating warbling, Legrand delivers a vast vocal range with frighteningly beautiful transfixing power. The dramatic rhythmic sway of thick brown hair bestowed a persuasive reminder that Beach House offer music to grind your soul too. The band remembered to move and shake when the audience forgot. Hundreds of spellbound faces looked forward in rapture. I let my soul go. And, yes, I moved.
The set covered all bases, a best of collection from 2004 to 2010, demonstrating that Beach House can hold their own as headliners and deserve to sell out shows across the world. We all know that Teen Dream is the best album. It's a 2010 scorcher. It deserved to steal the show.
Beach House Set List:
Gila (Devotion)
Better Times (Teen Dream)
Walk in the Park (Teen Dream)
Norway (Teen Dream)
Silver Soul (Teen Dream)
Master of None (Beach House)
Astronaut (Devotion)
Lover of Mine (Teen Dream)
Used to Be (Teen Dream)
Zebra (Teen Dream)
Heart of Chambers (Devotion)
Take Care (Teen Dream)
Encore:
Real Love (Teen Dream)
10 Mile Stereo (Teen Dream)
Fabpants Recommends:
Let’s take one from each album...
Download MP3: Beach House - Gila (courtesy of thelineofbestfit.com)
Download MP3: Beach House - Zebra (courtesy of weeklytapedeck.com)
Download MP3: Beach House - Master of None (courtesy of saladdaysmusic.net)
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