Laki Mera - Barfly, London, 7/9/2011

  by Sarah Mwangi

published: 3 / 10 / 2011

intro

Despite Glaswegian electronic quartet's Laki Mera's military efficiency and mechanical production, Sarah Mwangi finds much that is achingly human in their music at a show at the Barfly in London

Framed by delicate female vocals, Laki Mera presented artful electronic soundscapes on an auburn autumn night in Camden. In an uniform of black T-shirt and jeans, Laki Mera illustrated military efficiency as they sped through their half hour set. The Scottish quartet were sandwiched between amateur rock bands of non-descript talent on the Barfly stage, but, however, proved to be the much needed palette cleanser with their intricate dream-pop. And although their mechanical production had a metallic coldness to it, they still managed to caress the audience; enveloping them in Laura Donnelly’s warm breathy vocals. On ‘Fool’, these precious vocals danced coyly with the strings which were sharply plucked then left to swirl around an intoxicatingly sweet monosyllabic refrain. ‘More Than You’ and ‘She’s a Day Later’ were equally playful yet displayed measured and mature notes. Emerging into the foreground when Donnelly exited stage left, the remaining trio played an enthralling MacBook-aided instrumental piece. With Keir Long on piano, Tim Harbinson on drums and computer glitches courtesy of Andrea Gobbi, they filled the room with a staticky yet melodious jam until Donnelly returned to rein them in. Full of focus and absorbed in their own instruments, Laki Mera barely looked up at each other let alone their audience throughout the night. Then Donnelly spoke. With a charming Glaswegian cadence that was otherwise disguised in song, she breathed life into their automaton-like performance. The act was simple but played a significant role in personalising it to their Camden crowd. A feature they should fit into their precisely tuned outfit.

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