Caught in the Crossfire

Islington Bar Academy,
13th March 2009

There’s a quiet confidence radiating from London five piece Lights Action as they take to the stage on the penultimate date of their UK tour. With their debut album ‘Welcome to the New Cold World‘ enjoying hugely positive reviews and more tours in the pipeline the band seems to have really come into its own and with Bar Academy almost filled to capacity, the guys seem totally at home (so much so they even have an old lamp as part of their stage set up, giving a homely feel to the proceedings).

They kick off the proceedings with the drama fuelled ‘Moscow‘, with front man Patrick Currier’s distinctive american-lilt paving the way for chest thumping drums from Steve Durham. It’s the perfect way to get the crowd to shut up and take notice, and take notice they most certainly do. Tonight Currier’s vocals are spot on, a few weeks on tour has tuned his voice to near perfection, but still maintains an endearing catch that reveals glimpses of vulnerability. ‘Signals to Radar‘ is sublime, with strings layered behind melody saturated guitars. The performance is edgy without becoming pretentious, with rich hooks and unexpected turns spinning and spiralling throughout the performance. ‘Travelling Man‘ has a broad epic sound, which fills the Academy – the intriguing sleazy tapestry of bass and guitars weaving a track that has quite a punch to it. A cover of Sam Sparro’s ‘Black Gold‘ is an unexpected treat, and given the guitar treatment goes down very well with the dancing crowd, whilst ‘Satellites‘ (one of the few older songs given an airing tonight) is given a new lease of life with a semi acoustic, toned down performance that’s enough to give you goosebumps.

It’s clear that Lights Action are destined for bigger and better things, and have enough explosive energy and stage presence to impress on a larger scale. They’ve matured visibly and aurally in the last year, and are fast becoming making a name for themselves. They end the show with the electric ‘Young Scarlett Young’, a flamboyant, dramatic finale to a compact, tight set that leaves the crowd hungry for more. If they keep going in this direction they’re going to become a force to be reckoned with…

Dee Massey

Photos by Ian Collins