Photo: Andreas Waldschütz

SOHN Tickets

Last night saw the London debut of SOHN at Village Underground, an artist who impeccably fuses crystal clear vocals with incredible production. With the release of Tremors, there is a paradigm shift in what is possible within the realms of electronic music. This translated into a palpable sense of anticipation prior to the man himself arriving on the stage.

After the venue was plunged into darkness and the band of Albin Janoska on synths and Stefan Fallman on bass arrived, cheers erupted throughout. With an album like Tremors that is so well produced, often an element can be lost in the live performance, but what became immediately clear as the opening song 'Lessons' began was that this in no way the case.

In a similar vein to the album, the live show is a well-oiled machine, clearly laboured over with a unique sound and look that mirrors the darkness of the music, this left the audience mesmerized. The stage set up was of mind-boggling complexity, with a series of neon tubes running diagonally along each side of the stage. With SOHN elevated in the middle behind a muddle of electronic equipment and MPC’s, the lights change colour, flickering in synchronicity with the music.

The concept of the show is a collaboration with filmmaker and photographer Andreas Waldschütz, working as a homage to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Oddyssey. It creates a sense of clarity, which itself reflects the sheer tone of SOHN’s voice.

Check out SOHN's live set up in the video below 

As for the show itself, much like the album, it is an emotional one, which is the extra element that SOHN brings to the electronic genre. It is dark, powerful and crystal clear, expressing elements of the human condition through simple and poetic lyrics. For example ‘Artifice’ with the lyrics: “Somebody better let me know my name/Before I give myself away/Somebody better show me how I feel/Cause I know I’m not at the wheel” is all about detachment."

The sound in turn reflects this, utilising vocal loops, elements of techno, electronica and a novel approach to production. All of the elements here work together - the clarity of the sound, visuals and lyrics create an incredible impact. It is a testament to the songwriting prowess of SOHN, able to balance lyricalism, production, multi-iinstumentalism and pitch-perfect vocals.

Affect would be the key word here as everyone in that room was touched in some way. It is undeniably poignant and refreshing music that begs to be experienced live where it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.