aaamusic | On 25, Nov 2014

Tuesday 11th November, London

Habitat start the night off with their groove fuelled guitar tunes, opening with a catchy number centring on the thumping bass drum. ‘Should Know Better’ offers a slice of Hawaiian rhythms, which brightens up the room and makes you feel like its festival season again. Extremely polite and courteous, the group thanks the crowd even before they begin playing their own songs, in between swigs of cough syrup regularly being ingested throughout their 30 minute set, which is affable and endearing as much as their feel good music that is unpretentious and accessible.

With this being Tennis’ first London show since the release of their LP Ritual In Repeat, tonight the place is rammed packed with some of the record’s most vibrant hits, such as opener ‘Solar On The Rise’, a perfect example of the group’s woozy dream pop saturated in synths and washed out guitar. Whilst Alaina Moore-Riley timeless and delicate vocals on ‘Needle And A Knife’ are illuminated by the laid back instrumentals provided courtesy of her spouse Patrick Riley and co. If there is one skill that the duo has honed, it’s how to do mellow as old school disco reverb forms the basis of ‘Mean Streets’. Tennis songs are those select few that you could imagine being played at the 50s high school dance as the slow number comes on and conjures up tones of nostalgia which runs through their performance. Whereas ‘Night Vision’’s tense riffs and lyrics about romantic intricacies, “The way you hold me, careful unfolding, makes me feel light…”, presents a sultry and sexier sound, as she coos pensively into the microphone.

“Time to shift gears into the Carole King phase”, Alaina utters, as the tempo of the show increases and funkier faster numbers such as ‘I’m Callin’’, with its chugging bass lines and air of cool 80s mystique becomes the focus. Though we are warned of this imminent change it doesn’t feel like a significant difference, as the duo’s songs follow the same formula and never strays too far from the realm of vintage accents – which is a limitation, but unashamedly works for them. For the second time this evening Moore-Riley beckons the crowd to gather, as she serenades the spectators with ‘It all feels the same’, tender words spilling out as she kneels down and locks eyes with individual members of the assembly. To close the show the audience are exhibited a stripped down version of ‘Bad Girls’, the version of the way it was written not recorded. The stage is cleared for husband and wife to perform and it provides us with an intimate glimpse into their relationship. It’s a personal heartfelt ode to their marriage, “…that’s why I chose matrimony…” as unguarded lyricism and a sweet melody concludes a satisfactory concert.

Lois Browne