Review: Villagers in Electric Brixton

The start of 2013 saw the launch of the sophomore album from the Irish folk band Villagers, called {Awayland}. The critics are as positive as they were about their first record Becoming a Jackal, which was nominated for the famous Mercury Prize. But what’s it like live? Made In Shoreditch was at their show in Electric Brixton on tuesday may 21st.

The new album from the Villagers hit like a bomb at the beginning of this year. Almost everyone seemed to fall for the subdued, thoughtful folk music from the Irish band. Frontman Connor O’Brien has always been the brain behind Villagers. Anyone who ever met him will remember him for his intellectual vision about many subjects, but also for his introvert personality; O’Brien only speaks when necessary. The striking thing is that when performing live he totally emerges as an eloquent, well-oiled frontman. In the Electric Brixton he lets the public sing a song for the birthday of a band member, he interacts a lot with the crowd, but most importantly: he’s an excellent singer.

From the start until the end of his show the band know how to keep the audience quiet while playing subdued songs. Everyone knows about the annoying talking people at quiet gigs, but for O’Brien the crowd remains silent. It’s probably because of the swings in the Villagers’ music, which go from soft to very hard. At the end of their song The Waves it’s just like watching a punk band perform, but there are moments when O’Brien even sings a capella for a couple of minutes (Cecilia & Her Selfhood).

The important thing is that in Brixton the Villagers proved that they are a really exciting live act. The band members interact well with each other, which results in a strong set. Songs like Nothing Arrived and The Bells are high points in a brilliant show. The exceptionally high quality of their live songs make you think that they are up to something more – the big stages. What the future has in store for them is still uncertain – but I’m sure it’ll be something good.