Lord Huron - Thekla, Friday 17th May

US country rock quintet Lord Huron bring a densely layered soundscape of complex rhythms, killer hooks and a wagonful of wacky instruments to the lively Thekla tonight.  Originally from Lake Huron in Michigan and now residing in Los Angeles, they’re the brainchild of multi-talented art/design graduate frontman Ben Schneider.  The much-travelled bearded singer has assembled a group made up of childhood friends who are taking their homeland by storm with their fusion of mid-west country desert alt-rock with a Graceland Afro-Pop twist.  Debut album ‘Lonesome Dreams’ (released in January) has been a long time in the making but hasn’t disappointed after the success of the ‘Mighty’ EP which introduced fans and critics to their dreamy folk from the frontier and choral cathedral harmonies with a driving groove.

The band overcome early sound issues and from the start more and more objects seem to arrive to clutter the stage, most of which surround Moby lookalike percussionist Mark Barry who appears imprisoned at the back of the stage.  Opener ‘Ends Of The Earth’ like many tonight opens with a wall of atmospheric noise with mystical wind chimes, birdsong and hint of thunderstorm accompanied by some earnest cowboy coo-ing.  Compared to Fleet Foxes but with more urgency, the rootsy folk also draws upon the Americana feel of CSN&Y with 4 part harmonies and sweeping production.  Adorned in a white Stetson, Schneider has two microphones in front of him suggesting some possible effects-laden foul play but in truth there’s so much activity going on throughout each tune that the vocal quest for perfection falls into the background.

‘She Lit A Fire’ sails into David Gray territory but not in a bad way and ‘The Man Who Lives Forever’ brings out the pots and pans once again, Barry hits the drums with maracas in one hand, tambourine in the other, Schneider shakes what appears to be a clutch of Christmas baubles whilst captivating the audience with more soulful yearning “Said that death is a deal that you cannot refuse, but I love you girl and I don't wanna lose you.”  There’s not much in the way of interaction tonight other than a quip about the band lifting the Thekla’s anchor and the venue drifting out to sea, no bother because the audience are far away with them on a dusty wind in the Arizona desert. 

Show-stealing percussionist Barry adopts a bamboo waistcoast which he strokes in time to bassy ukulele for crowd favourite ‘Time To Run.’  With its chiming, beautifully simple melodic guitars meeting shamanistic percussion and a slick REO Speedwagon vocal it gallops along like a Mustang horse across the prairie.  Another track brim-filled with the customary contagious calypso rhythm is the warm and fuzzy ‘Lonesome Dreams’ which suffers from a frustrating mid-song break but soars back strongly as the singer passionately pelts the rim of a drum to his left.  Later this year the band could threaten to upstage Mercury masters Alt-J who they will support on their US tour and there’s no doubt that their live show is an unmissable event.

Kindly published by Venue:
http://www.venue.co.uk/music-live-reviews-l/20664-lord-huron

Best Track: Click on link below
Lord Huron - 'Time To Run'

Album available through links below: