27 October 2016 (gig)
27 October 2016
Daughter, made up of Elena Tonra (vocals, guitar), Igor Haefeli (guitar) and Remi Aguilella (drums), are one of those bands who are addictively listenable at home but risk being less enticing live.
The welcome addition of a brass section and percussionist takes their live show at Brixton’s O2 Academy boldly into less familiar territory.
Two songs in, a shy Tonra confesses to not being ready to look up at her audience. It's not surprising, given the masses packed into the venue's tiered stalls. While in awe of the sight, Tonra and her bandmates' performances are clearly unaffected by their biggest audience as a headliner to date.
The trio has built a loyal following since 2013 debut album If You Leave. It shows when the album's standout single, Youth, is greeted by rapturous applause mid-set, stopping Tonra in her tracks.
Their meatier follow-up album, Not to Disappear, was released at the start of this year, produced in New York by Nicolas Vernhes (Animal Collective, War On Drugs).
From that, Doing the Right Thing gets added horns. The result is something bigger than the album version and literally shakes the venue's floors. The band’s sound has grown to fill such venues with aplomb.
Daughter’s music is undoubtedly for tortured souls, but at times some of this audience is simply too busy discussing the day's office politics. An understated band of few words, Daughter sadly does not share that characteristic with some of the audience.
The angry and danceable No Care raises the tempo, while Tonra’s breathy falsetto on If You Leave borders on the angelic. The crescendos of the title track to their debut album close the band’s main set.
An encore of the more recent Fossa and, with its “You could still be/What you want to” lyrics, Medicine raises the question of what next for this talented trio?
