After catching Loch Lomond's Noise Pop set at the Diesel happy hour on Friday, we were so intrigued that we decided to come back for more. The six piece band played at the Rickshaw Stop on Friday night, and delivered a set that was a greeted with a strong dose of crowd enthusiasm.
Surprisingly, while the set was more musically intricate than the set at Diesel, it was also noticeably more subdued. In particular, lead singer Ritchie Young took on a vocal timbre was that significantly less aggressive, and quite a bit more twee. Ultimately, it didn't hurt the music, but it did serve to give it more of the folky feel that we're familiar with from the band's records.
Still, the band seemed instrumentally far more confident in a real venue, and it probably didn't hurt to have a real stage with this many people to make space for. Many of the instrumental parts (clarinets, xylophone, viola), sounded fuller and more confident, as did the multi-part vocals. Overall it contributed to create a set that, while more mellow, was significantly more authoritative in its bent.
Given the two personas of Loch Lomond that we've seen at Noise Pop, we're curious to see where they go from here. The band will apparently be back in April, so that may give us a good clue as to what comes next. That being said, we have to admit that we were liking the slightly more edgy vibe from the Diesel show. Either way, Loch Lomond very clearly delivering on a well defined sound, and unquestionably giving us a reason to listen. See you in April kids!
Many more pictures at the HAD Archive.
