Revolutionary and evolutionary: Beach House, Live in London

18 October 2018, 10:52 | Written by Jack Dutton

(Live)

Last night, Beach House made a welcome return to London, playing at Limehouse's former art deco bingo hall Troxy, in London's East End. The Baltimore-based duo, made up of vocalist and keyboardist Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally on guitar, keyboard and backing vocals, appeared on stages as silhouettes in dark smoke.

Beginning with “Levitation” off their 2015 album Depression Cherry, filling the room with the killer combination of crisp synths, twangy guitars and Legrand’s rapturous vocals. “PPP”, another track off Depression Cherry, followed. “It won’t last forever, maybe it will,” sung Legrand wistfully.

Later came “Dark Spring” and “Pay No Mind”, new tracks off the duo’s latest album 7. “Pay No Mind” sounded like the Jesus & the Mary Chain; the guitar, bass synth and the stumbling drumbeat complementing the acoustics of Troxy.

Beach House also had time to go through some of their older tracks. “Now we’re going way back,” said Legrand before performing “Norway”, one the songs from their third album, Teen Dream, the record which sprung them into superstardom. It was great to hear that twinkly, sliding guitar that has been replicated by many artists, including Mac de Marco and Men I Trust. “Walk in the Park” went down well, sounding especially wintery with a live tambourine.

Beach House made sure all bases were covered, going further back in time with a performance of 2006’s “Master of None” before coming back to their newer records: “Lose Your Smile”, “Myth” and “Space Song”. The latter in particular showed that the light show was a great match for the band. The intense blasts of crimson strobe, which quickly stopped and fell into darkness when the piano crescendo played, captivated the crowd. During “Drunk in LA” and “Lemon Flower”, the visuals became trippy optical illusions inspired by the band’s album art for 7 and their recent music videos.

Tonight’s show showcased Beach House’s graceful evolution as a band: they have managed to win new fans with each album, but not alienate any of their early listeners in the process.