- I was surprised to learn that Junior Boys' date at Oslo had sold out within days of the announcement. Even at the peak of their powers in the mid-'00s, when soft-lit and emotionally candid electronic pop was fully in vogue, the Canadian duo always felt more appreciated across the pond than in the UK. And yet, people have been asking after tickets for their London show since November.
Oslo occupies a peculiar place in London's music scene. It boasts a capital-L loud soundsystem and a broad dance floor unencumbered by any design quirks, neither of which should be taken for granted in the capital nowadays. But the bouji restaurant downstairs creates an odd jumble of clientele for the weekend club nights, and in the two years they've been open they've struggled for consistency when it comes to bookings. So this early sell-out was a big win for both the Junior Boys and the Hackney spot.
Chalk that up in part to Jessy Lanza, whose inclusion on the bill scanned more as joint headliner than support. Giddy live versions of "Keep Moving" and "Kathy Lee" (off her 2013 debut album) explored the fun side of her sound, but employing a live drummer was an odd move: Lanza's tracks are rhythmically sparse and linear, which ended up feeling rudimentary in person. Lanza moved with more confidence than I've seen before, venturing out in front of her gearbox a couple of times with mic in hand, but the duo dynamic felt a bit superfluous. The quiet power of her solo sets got a little lost along the way.
On the flipside, the intimacy of Junior Boys' early (and best) recordings not only remained intact but worked with added muscle behind them. The drums were ridiculously high in the mix, meaning their performance was easily twice as loud as Lanza's, while Jeremy Greenspan's guitar threw extra weight behind the new cuts on Big Black Coat. They opened with a slow-burning John Martyn cover, closed with an extended encore of 2011's chugging "Banana Ripple" and remained bathed in blue light throughout. As a summary of where Junior Boys stand today, that felt about right.