}

Friday, January 29, 2010

Lights That Flash in the Evening: Locksley @ Iota, Arlington, VA (1-21-2010)



When I last saw those Brooklyn Brit-poppers Locksley around here, it was last year and they were the openers for one of the originators of Brit-pop, Ray Davies at the 930 Club. While Locksley's stage show wasn't sedate, it was totally nothing like what they put forth last week at Iota. They were good at the 930, make no mistake. But a year or so of playing out in support of their first release, Don't Make Me Wait has tightened up this band as a collective musically, as well as made them comfortable enough to let loose and show an audience visually how much they enjoy doing what they do.





Playing for about 90 minutes, Locksley's set included most of the tracks from their upcoming release, Be in Love (out 2/23), a lot of Don't Make Me Wait, and a William Bell cover called "There's a Love," they had the audience moving about as much as they were onstage. With all the moving and jumping about onstage and off, I was surprised the Iota's bar glasses weren't rattling.


I liked this show so much in fact, I was bummed to hear they're heading to Japan and not Austin for SXSW in March so I could see them again. With all that Austin has to offer in terms of new music during SX, that's saying a whole lot.




Locksley's music isn't complicated and layered, it's not political and statement-filled, but that doesn't mean there isn't a bunch going on musically. I think with all the technology that bands have access to and the ways one can tinker with music these days, the basics of rock music are forgotten sometimes. And there's real beauty in those three chords and the truth. So it's great to see a band like Locksley see that and do it well, while invigorating their audience to feel that way too.

(See the rest of the photos from the show here)


Give a Listen: The Whip-Locksley from Be In Love (buy)

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