LORIEN are an interesting prospect. Their "Under The Waves" album suggests quiet, atmospheric and introspective music and how this translated to the stage intrigued me.
Arriving onstage with the minimum of fuss, the band laid into the LP's material with admirable directness. Beginning with his back to the audience, singer Fabio initially led your reviewer to fear that LORIEN would be hopelessly aloof, harking back to the shoegazing days of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
However, along with a clutch of bands currently operating, LORIEN seem to have rediscovered the virtue of passionate songwriting. Indeed, they make you realise that what passed as songwriting 10 years back seems quite hollow now: a fact lost on the audience impatiently waiting for ELECTRIC SOFT PARADE - the next big thing. But more of them later.
LORIEN began with "Goodbye Star", sections of the audience talking over their performance. However, as they moved onto "Human Beings" they began to win over the crowd with their "new acoustic" sound. Songs like "Shivering Sun" show a gift for classic songwriting fitting for a band proudly displaying a Fender Jaguar, Rickenbacker bass and acoustic guitars aplenty.
LORIEN remind your reviewer of RADIOHEAD in their less affected/ experimental moments, songs swelling to emotive choruses that tug at the heart strings. The vocals have a fragility that belies the power of the songs. This band can hold their own and do so in an impressive way. By the last song, "Octopus", we're left in no doubt LORIEN are bound for better things. They fit comfortably in with the current TRAVIS/ COLDPLAY gentle sound and yet possess enough individuality to stand out. Good luck to them.
The much-hyped ELECTRIC SOFT PARADE follow. Maybe the audience here were more familiar with their material, but to your reviewer their set lacked any personality and left me cold. Swearing's never big and clever, but clearly their singer felt he was cool using the "C" word. Wow - how hard are you, mate!?
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Most of their tunes washed over me completely and I'd be hard put to recall 'em now even if you pushed me. This was clearly a case of "wrong band, main act."
This kind of performance could've been forgiven from a support band and indeed, looking at ESP, they are only old enough to merit such a position.
Maybe in a few years, with more experience under their belts they'll cut it.I can't truly fault their musicianship - solid enough - but lacking in structure and tunes, this all amounts to nothing and harks back to my earlier comments about shoegazing.
Listening to tapes of that period now, I find most of what I loved then now sounds like unlistenable feedback noodling. ESP make me think bands should be denied FX pedals until they produce something worth tampering with and tonight come across as dull and limp, although they seemed to please fans here.
Nonetheless, ESP really do represent the emperor's new clothes. Tonight's audience will probably play their "Holes In The Wall" album in a few years and wonder what the fuss was about. Statement time: Record companies, stop throwing money at bands before they're ready (unsigned bands - honestly you'll thank me in the future!) and let them mature into something worth pushing.Don't believe the hype.
In the meantime, check out LORIEN and give ELECTRIC SOFT PARADE some time to develop, which I'm sure they will.
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