Photo: WENN.com
Off the back of their festival performances this summer, the Lumineers brought to the Roundhouse an intimate and highly energetic musical experience where you couldn’t help but dance as the blend of folk, rock, and American country washed over the Camden crowds.
They were preceded by Phox, who showcased their musical excellence, but were clearly awestruck by the venue - it being their first time out of the states for some of them. They lacked stage presence, perhaps awestruck by the venue at first, but their song 'Bianca' brought them alive, dancing like Egyptians, and after that there was no going back.
Lumineers came to the stage, after a slightly too lengthy instrumental interlude, and kicked off with 'Submarines', before displaying piano talent with 'Aint Nobody’s Problem' which got the whole crowd singing along.
With only one album, they had a limited discography to choose from; however this was in no way a hindrance - as the crowd knew the album so well. “I’m thankful” Wesley Shutz said “that people listen to the whole album; too many people to just one song. If you do that, I hope you go back and listen to the rest of it.”
They also know how to shake things up. They started their best known song, 'Ho Hey' unplugged - encouraging the crowd to sing along, before returning to the mics for the second verse, and covered Bob Dylan’s 'Subterranean Homeland Blues' - which displayed such fast singing it could have easily been rapping.
“Can you put your cell phones away for a moment and just be here with us” Wesley appealed to the crowd, as the group left the stage, to perform in the middle of the crowd- recreating their living room gig feel in a (much) larger venue. Even when they were on stage however, they managed to keep a small venue feel, playing as much for themselves as for the crowd.
They treated the crowd to two unreleased numbers, one new song; 'Falling in Love' which was interrupted by appreciative cheers before they could get to the second verse and 'Gun Song' -which didn’t make the last album but they hope to release soon. After hearing it last night, we do too.
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