We Love Music: Lovelife @ Living Social — 5/4/13

Ally Young and Lee Newell are Lovelife. (Photo by author)

Ally Young and Lee Newell are Lovelife. (Photo by author)

Londoners Lovelife played at Living Social headquarters Saturday, bringing a sharp set of tunes in a break from their tour with Capital Cities.

The Speakeasy stage at Living Social turned out to be a good place to see the band, who opened with six songs for Philadelphia-based Vacationer. Not having previously seen a concert at Living Social, I was charmed a bit by the very dark, urban bar space, where you could get a drink on the lower level and look up at the band on a gallery above. Standing on the mezzanine, you could watch the band play standing right next to you and occasionally look down at the bar patrons looking up at you. Lee Newell, Lovelife’s lead singer, did just that with some amusement while singing down to the crowd below during one number.

The band were in good form and brought with them a physical CD of five songs being performed on their current tour, which runs through June 2 (although they switch up tour partners from Capital Cities to the Neighborhood when they head to the West Coast).

Lovelife also have just released a new song “Dying to Start Again,” which will be included on a new EP, Stateless, scheduled for release on June 11. This third EP will join their previous two, El Regreso and The Fourth Floor, as free downloads on their website and as a physical release on vinyl, as is the trend with young bands these days.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/81195570″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

The jaunty “Dying to Start Again” moves the band a little bit more into neo-psychedelia, which suits them pretty well. The catchy beats and upbeat attitude belie lyrics that sing of a sadness of being separated from yet another lady love. Its buoyancy and wordplay make it perhaps Lovelife’s most accessible song to date, and it could poise them for a much deserved breakout this summer.

Ally Young’s stealthy synths are at their most seductive while Sam Jackson adds some funky guitar and Frank Colucci keeps time with some smooth drumming. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn they were secretly collaborating with Nile Rodgers whenever they were back in New York City. (They’re not, but it would be wholly appropriate.)

Catch Lovelife with Capital Cities in Boston Wednesday, New York City Thursday, and Philadelphia Friday as they continue their tour with Capital Cities.

Mickey reviews music shows. For recent reviews, visit Parklife DC.

Twitter 

Comments are closed.