More about: Let's Eat Grandma

There are few ways I actually enjoy spending a disgustingly warm day in Central London, but the premise of a Let’s Eat Grandma performance is too tempting to deny. For a duo that describe themselves as ‘experimental sludge pop’, I’m intrigued to see how they bring that dynamic to the stage – I have high hopes, considering the line up for this years’ Meltdown at the Southbank Centre was curated by Christine and the Queens. Given that his musical sound is influenced by the glam-pop greats, a combination that sound with synthesisers, Let’s Eat Grandma have to stand out on a similar experimental level. 

Immediately upon hearing the supporting act, Metteson, it’s clear that the curation has become a work of art in itself. He has the most captivating stage presence, with a vocal range that fits brilliantly to the synth beats provided by his band, who meld together so beautifully without overshadowing one another – they’re made up of a drummer, a synthesiser player, a guitarist, and backup vocalist, of course in addition to Metteson. It’s like they’ve taken their best abilities to rehearsal and worked on them to become even better together. It’s truly mesmerising to watch. 

A specific backup vocalist, to me, is something that you don’t see as often anymore. Especially in a genre of music so reliant on layering and mixing, it’s refreshing to see a vocalist with a different range backing up the main event: it works in Metteson’s favour, making a brilliant scene of vocalising. It’s hard to believe that the set is only 30 minutes, he keep us in the palm of his hand for the entire thing, leaving us wanting more. As someone who had never heard of him before, he immediately earned a place on my June playlist. 

There’s a long-ish gap before Let’s Eat Grandma take the stage – about 45 minutes. Usually, this is where you hear some generic indie music that wins the favour of most of the crowd, a time for singing along to well-known hits. The playlist played in the interim, however, is one of funky beats and the ability to bop to. To me, it keeps me excited for LEG to take the stage, as I’m kept full of electronic, synth-pop during my wait. A nice bit of lo-fi goodness while the sun sets over the Thames and a cold pint in hand makes for the true summer gig experience. Bonus points for the wait not being so tedious, either. 

Let’s Eat Grandma take the stage and the energy in the Elizabeth Hall is fantastic – whoops and claps from everyone, which at a show with such a range of ages is no small feat. They open with ‘Happy New Year’, which is a favourite of mine; a song evident of the relationship between Rosa and Jenny, with lyrics like ‘And nothing that was broken / can touch how much I care for you.’ 

Rosa begins the singing on this track, and she’s bouncing around the stage: you can tell how much she loves performing, while Jenny plays the keyboard, keeping the beat perfectly. The two have such a lovely friendship, it’s obvious from how they act around one another even in front of so many people. After the second chorus, Rosa holds the microphone to Jenny, who begins to sing while it’s still held by her best friend. This makes me teary – they’re physically, and emotionally, so close to one another. There’s so much beauty in the girlhood and female friendship right in front of me, almost taking me out of listening to the song in favour of observing such a show of love. 

The two are joined by Elena Costa on drums, a session drummer who joins them in live shows. In a strange turn of events, I actually got talking to their first ever drum teacher before the show. The passion they have for the instrument and their talent is very clear (they doesn’t stop smiling on the stage between songs) so this was a really nice surprise. They're incredible at keeping the syncopation and feels like a natural addition to the duo, which is the ideal set up from additional touring members. 

"They’ve found a secret spot between love and talent, and brought us all in to witness it in its full glory."

The standout performance for me has to be ‘Hall of Mirrors’ which the girls give an elongated introduction and do the macarena to. They are two best friends having fun, opting to not continually address the audience. I feel like I’ve intruded on a rehearsal, or jam session, more so: with their energy on high and their secret smiles swapped with one another, it’s a show of fun and love and passion, and I feel so honoured they share it with listeners. During this song, too, Jenny jumps from the synthesiser-keyboard to the saxophone. I almost don’t realise it’s her because she moves so swiftly, and seamlessly, that it feels like she’s been playing it the whole time. From their switching between instruments, you can tell they are a powerhouse. They’ve adapted to performing as a duo and not letting the lack of an entire band hinder them, but take it in their stride to show off many talents. 

There aren’t enough bands who encompass a mixing of genres so well: the synth and brass mix is something I rarely experience, and it works in their favour – they stand out for the differences they embrace in their performance, going from danceable tunes to sad-girl-synth in the space of one song. This variation keeps them interesting and engaging, and a performance and a half to watch. quite literally feeling like multiple shows throughout for the range they cover throughout the 90 minutes. 

I leave the show feeling captivated – like I’ve seen some kind of magic sparks between the two. They’ve found a secret spot between love and talent, and brought us all in to witness it in its full glory.

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More about: Let's Eat Grandma