Beach House are the cherry on the cake

Beloved by Pitchfork, Jay-Z and Beyonce as well as your humble reviewer, Beach House are a well regarded twosome emanating from Baltimore that comprise of Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand. This scruffy and seductive pair have been riding an ever-growing wave of critical adoration since 2004 which now appears to be translating into a wider commercial acclaim, as evidenced by healthy sales of their beautifully beguiling 2010-released LP Teen Dream and their sell-out gig at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

Opening with ‘Glia’, Beach House instantly do more than simply reproduce the layered textures of their distinctive ‘dream pop’ sound on record, in the flesh the intricacy and beauty of their sound is fully realised. Scally’s guitar parts and effects linger delicately providing the perfect foundation for the most distinctive element of Beach House to shine, that is Legrand’s sumptuous drawn-out husky voice.

Legrand could be the ghost of the Velvet Underground’s Nico: her vocals have the very same low and powerful resonance, which – despite their limited range – fixate you, sucking you into the realm of this enigmatic femme fatale. Legrand cuts a captivating presence, pitched somewhere between a youthful Horses-era Patti Smith with swathes of messy black hair and the subtle swagger of Cat Power, she captures the hazy melodic rhythms of her band with elegant sways.

Teen Dream is showcased in its entirety, fragmented by early singles such as 2008’s ‘Heart of Chambers’, allowing the set to flow smoothly. Highlights include ‘Better Times’ and ‘Used To Be’, the former beginning with wonderfully simple repetition of a piano chord and is a slow-burner climaxing with Legrand crying out: ‘The one that you love is gone’. ‘Used To Be’ is cut from the same cloth, with Legrand hauntingly warning: ‘Don’t forget the nights, when it all felt right’.

The ambient quality of the music of Beach House is typified by ‘Zebra’, this abstract hymn is delivered with tremendous energy, beginning with infectious guitar and lengthened high-pitched organ soundscapes. This breath-taking track builds and builds, becoming sonically more and more expansive but never losing its sense of melody, with Legrand again at the fore, echoing: ‘Anyway you run, you run before us, black and white horse, arching among us’.

There is little conversing with the appreciative crowd, a notable exception being Legrand metaphorically remarking that together in our collective attendance we are part of a ‘good cake’, appropriately bowing in reverence to the crowd. This evening is quite a big deal for the Baltimore duo, their biggest show to date and they seem keen to earn these stripes, playing with real urgency, verve and intensity throughout.

The set culminates with ‘Take Care’, an alluring and serene song that waxes and wanes with power and grace. Just as it majestically closes the LP it makes a perfect closer this evening.

However this was not to be the fitting ending as the pair returned for an encore including the epic ‘10 Mile Stereo’. I was a little underwhelmed by the ‘big finish’ nature of the encore, backed with pulsating percussion and screeching keys, for Beach House are most impressive when they hold back, allowing Legrand to take centre stage. Nonetheless, it was a commanding performance, with stripes fully acquired and definitely well worth the hype.