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Photo: Richard Gray
Two albums in on the Sub Pop label, singer songwriter Avi Buffalo’s reflective indie is maturing at pace, but is he ‘a star connector’ on the London stage, to quote from the set’s opener, the breezy ‘So What’?
The answer would have to be yes and no. The expertly arranged studio melodies drift unhindered across an appreciative Islington audience, but occasionally Avi’s distinctive falsetto gets left behind, the crowd imploring him with ‘More vocals! More vocals!’. In fact the Long Beach quartet often make a shy, but consequently endearing, stage presence with Avi’s nervous movements reminiscent of the restless addict on the street corner. Only Anthony Vezirian , who has the bear hug warmth of actor John Goodman, seems to be entirely happy in his own skin, hunched studiously over his keyboard and exchanging banter with the crowd.
‘Think I’m Gonna Happen Again’, with its amusing reference to running over two dogs, and early favourite ‘Remember Last Time’ are rapturously received. As is ‘Summer Cum’, a quiet, airy melody nicely juxtaposed with obvious, lyrical explicitness.
The band then slips away, leaving Avi alone for an acoustic interlude, where he delivers more material from latest album ‘At Best Cuckold’. ‘Two Cherished Misunderstandings’ has more than a nod to Dylan’s Knocking On Heaven’s Door in its chords, and the evening’s highlight is the gorgeously poignant ‘Overwhelmed With Pride’.
The crew returns for ‘Memories of You’ and the irresistible crowd pleaser ‘What’s In it For?’ Chicken wings might be the answer, if you ask one of Avi Zahner-Isenberg’s friends, who coined him Buffalo because of Avi’s fondness for fast food fare. The single’s B-side ‘Jessica’ also features.
The encore ends on a half embarrassed note and if the night is only a partial success and doesn’t do justice to Zahner-Isenberg’s songwriting gifts, it is strong enough to encourage those not familiar with Avi’s catalogue to seek out his mellifluous and uplifting recordings.
Support act, the slacker rocking Bermondsey trio Happyness, segue between genres and, unlike Avi Buffalo, don’t seem to have quite found their voice yet. They open with an Oasis- like wall of sound, move from energetic punk in new release ‘Whole New Shape’ to cheerful pop, and finish with a discernibly Pixies influenced slow power burner. They may yet emerge with a whole new shape to their music and delightful song titles like ‘Great Minds Think Alike, All Brains Taste The Same’ are not readily forgot.
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