Local Natives, Cloud Control and Breton, The Leadmill

Local Natives are out on tour in support of their second album ‘Hummingbird’, following the success of their debut ‘Gorilla Manor’. After a slight line-up change (with their bassist only becoming an ‘official member’ this month!) it seems the band is better than ever, with their popularity continuously growing. It seems like there’s a great deal of excitement about tonight’s gig, and The Leadmill is full on this blustery Friday night.

First up is London-based electro act Breton, who released their debut album ‘Other Peoples Problems’ in 2012. The band came about as an offshoot of BretonLABS; a collective making video art set to music, which evolved into their unique live show, as we are about to see tonight. Their tracks blend samples of everything from classical music to people’s conversations over grungy electro beats. Frontman Roman Rappak’s engaging vocal style ties the chaos together to form compositions which are genuinely different. Standout tracks include ‘Edward the Confessor’; a synth-heavy number with wailing vocals and driven by a drum machine, and ‘Jostle’ mixes electronic bleeps with a song not dissimilar to Foals or The Maccabees. No doubt they’re an acquired taste, but the combination of fresh-sounding music with vibrant visual entertainment makes for an interesting start to the evening.

Following Breton are Australian four-piece Cloud Control. Obvious comparisons to Jagwar Ma and Tame Impala have been drawn, and the band do share the same dreamy, psychedelic vibe on occasion. The dual vocals are also reminiscent of our headline act for this evening. Having spent the last few years touring relentlessly and recording their second album ‘Dream Cave’, they’re clearly a confident band and are all musically talented. ‘Scar’ is perfect psych-pop with a catchy chorus and ‘Dojo Rising’ is a blissed out love song over a synth beat. After Cloud Control’s performance a mellow mood settles over the crowd as they eagerly wait for Local Natives to grace the stage.

Read the full review at Counterfeit Magazine