Dag For Dag are an exiting prospect to keep an eye on this year. With debut album ‘Boo’ due for release on Feb 22nd, this trio of Swedish indie rockers, including brother and sister Sarah and David Snavely, are slowly gathering a lot of new fans.
‘Something Beginning With L’ opened the evening at the Old Blue Last with a very accomplished set. Assured and melodic female-led indie with touches of Throwing Muses and The Breeders. Some impressive layered riffs, mellow arrangements with synth pop leanings, they displayed an interesting range, with bursts of raw rock and roll energy.
Second up was the wonderful ‘She Keeps Bees’, aka New York soulful singer / songwriter Jessica Larribee. A powerful performance, complete with Patti Smith-esque swagger, a stunning voice, and deep lo-fi dirty blues reminiscent of The Black Keys. Disarmingly hilarious in between songs, Larribee rambled charismatically to the crowd about life on the road and wardrobe issues, then switched back to another consummate performance.
Dag for Dag swung into action with a tense feedback intro, then tore into a high energy performance, jerking and posturing manically around the stage. They soon settled into a rhythm with what proved to be a devastating set; full of flair, originality and innovation. With tracks like ‘Hands and Knees’, ‘Silence as the Verb’ , ‘Animal’ and ‘Ring me Elize’, Dag for Dag demonstrate that rare quality of exciting, stirring music. As haunting melodies swing into visceral rock and roll. You can hear a bit of American indie ala Sonic Youth, which goes a little Nico at times. In particular, when lead singer Sarah Snaveley produced a violin for the melancholy ‘Boxed in Pine’. With a couple of psychedelic wig-outs adding to an unpredictable, but compelling performance, it was a bold and blistering set from an outstanding band, possibly buoyed by the strong female performances that preceded.
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About the Author:
MarcusErridge originally from Southampton, lives in South London and works for a University supporting human rights students and academics. His all-time favourite band is Pavement. He’s a Libra, enjoys Pina Colada’s and getting caught in the rain!
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