"Hot New Thing" All We Are Turn Up The Heat
Published
A Brazilian, a Norwegian and an Irishman walk into the Scala. They take to the stage, and play a well-structured set that draws on material from their fantastic debut album.
All We Are produce music as varied as their international construct, possessing an unusual ability to make ambient funky music. Their recent live show at King Cross’ Scala was their biggest show to date, and was a decent showcase for the three-piece’s evolution from “one for the future” to recognised headline act.
Not that they weren’t awed by the occasion. Drummer and backing vocalist Richard O’Flynn admitted to the audience before a note had even been struck that they were thrilled to be playing a venue so large. But this didn’t stem into being over-awed, as the hour that followed was as good as the band could have hoped for.
With the gentleness of their recorded material replaced with a faster, more distorted sound in the live setting which rendered ‘Ebb/Flow’, the album’s standout track, almost unrecognisable. Songs such as ‘Keeping Me Alive’ and ‘Honey’ took on a rockier approach, similar to what occasionally punctuates Metronomy’s music, something that drew a great reaction from the crowd.
Slower numbers like ‘Something About You’ and ‘Go’ were the perfect bedrock for Guro Gikling’s beautiful vocals (similar in delivery and pitch to London Grammar’s Hannah Reid) and Louis Santos’ flatpicked guitar, which offered a nice fracture in set-pace. A cover of Caribou’s ‘Can’t Do Without You’ seemed a bit obscure however, with no real attempt made to put a different spin on the track. As far as karaoke goes it was flawless, but it was All We Are’s own material that really stood out.
By the time the set drew to a close with the ironically soft ‘Stone’, you consider the band’s name more a brag rather than a modest disclosure. The frequent “one to watch” labelling is spot-on – 2016 should be a cracker.
Image courtesy of Marieke Macklon.
