It's a rarity that we walk into a room at a friend's invitation and stumble upon a band that not only have we never heard of, but that's completely fantastic to boot. And yet, at the Bowery Ballroom last Thursday, that's exactly what happened. We caught The London Souls headlining a gig, and were completely blown away by what we heard.
The London Souls are a trio, consisting of three fantastically well balanced talents. As a unit they are indescribably well attuned to each other, and the chemistry is undoubtedly the foundation of their set. Each band member is wonderfully technically talented, and all members perform vocal duties in turn.
And yet technical skill is just the tip of the iceberg for these New Yorkers: they've been playing together for quite some time, and it shows. The onstage rapport and intuition that they put forth was palpable, as each member seemed to intrinsically know where seemingly chaotic moments would head next.
All of that aptitude was underscored by a set of originals and covers that ran the gamut from blues inspired psychedelic rock, to Kinks-like doses of melody and harmony. After a set that was already unquestionably blowing our minds, we were taken to the next level when the band delivered an encore of The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows".
In short (if you didn't get the idea already), The London Souls are our official nomination for "best band you haven't heard yet". They deliver a live show that is one of the best we've seen in quite some time, and have a style that is simultaneously referential of their roots, and completely their own. More importantly, we get the distinct feeling they're on the verge of something big, so if you want to see them in a reasonably sized room, we'd recommend you do so while you still have the chance.
More pictures at the HAD Archive
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