Loney Dear / Asobi Seksu @ The Horseshoe

When I went to see Loney Dear at Lee's Palace a couple of years ago, the experience was far and away a much more thrilling one than I ever could have anticipated. I walked away from that show converted from casual fan to rabid fan, and I couldn't wait to see singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Emil Svanängen again. Sadly, my wait had to be postponed a tad when his bus broke down back in May, but all can now be forgiven since the rescheduled show at The Horseshoe was every bit as satisfying as the first one.

The fact that this leg of the tour was billed as a co-headlining set with shoegazers Asobi Seksu was a bit of a surprise to me since I really didn't know anything about them, other than the overhearing of the occasional mentioning of their name whilst eavesdropping on various indie hipster conversations. As usual, I've remain consistently out of the loop. Apparently their presence on Polyvinyl makes them labelmates with Loney Dear, although their sound couldn't possibly be more different. Still, I enjoyed their set quite a bit, as their material was presented with a raucous edge, that was never at the sacrifice of a dreamy melody. Their set was loud and feedback-y, with Yuki Chikudate's vocals hovering just on the positive side of piercing, making me very glad that I remembered to bring my earplugs. It's hard to believe that such a powerful voice can come from such a tiny girl. The hyperactive strobe lights that struck intermittently throughout their set added significantly to the frenzied ambiance, making for a very energetic performance.

The music of Loney Dear is made for the live stage as it consistently strikes a balance between the downtrodden and the uplifting. What I mean is that Emil's voice can't help but have a hint of the "woe is me" in its delivery, while the epic soundscapes that usually kick in within the last minute or so of his average song manages to leave me feeling celebratory. Likewise, the live show is a comparable contrast of highs and lows. Not being familiar with every aspect of his career, I was still surprised at how many songs I recognized, not only from the CD's I own, but also from what I remember about his last show. His memory was equally as sharp as he managed to even remember some of the familiar faces in the audience too. It was very amusing to watch him joke around with some of the mildly inebriated audience members that were hurling crazy requests his way, and it was also great to see him performing in such a way that showed that he was having as great a time as we were. The highlight of the show was when he approached the front of the stage and sang one of his songs without the aid of the microphone to an audience that was paying rapt attention as the din of the crowd's chatter was brought to an impressive halt. At the end of the night, he opted to simply let us know when the encore was taking place as opposed to going through the trouble of leaving the stage only to come back on, and the second highlight was hearing him perform a triumphant version of I Am John, which is easily one of the five best songs of the decade as far as I'm concerned.

I can honestly say that there are few things as uplifting as a Loney Dear show and I sincerely hope that I won't have to wait another two years for his return. Call me crazy, but being uplifted through song is just something I can't seem to get enough of for some reason. Go figure.

Both Chromewaves and NOW also have reviews of the show.

Photos: My shots of Loney Dear are on flickr
Photos: My pics of Asobi Seksu are also on flickr.
Myspace: Loney Dear
Myspace: Asobi Seksu
Download: Loney Dear's I Am John mp3
Download: Loney Dear's Airport Surroundings mp3
Download: Asobi Seksu's New Years mp3
Download: Asobi Seksu's Thursday mp3