Lorelle Meets The Obsolete
Lorelle Meets The Obsolete, Whitelands
Lorelle Meets The Obsolete, Whitelands @ The Lexington, London, UK, September 20, 2023,
Sep 25, 2023
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A lot has changed since Mexican experimental outfit Lorelle Meets The Obsolete were last in the UK. Not least the adverse duo of Covid and Brexit, the former bringing the planet to a standstill then the latter making it difficult for overseas bands to tour the UK without incurring excessive costs and an abundance of red tape in order to do so. Nevertheless, it’s also probably fair to say both their profile and popularity has increased somewhat over the same period of time. Due in no small part to the band’s most recent long player Datura, which came out in June, and its predecessor De Facto which landed just months before the world’s axis stopped turning and headed for lockdown instead.
However, the “sold out” signs on the door tonight and every other show on this tour tell its own story, as does an impressive list of luminaries from the world of shoegaze and experimental music which includes Emma Anderson (formerly of Lush and now with a hugely anticipated solo album on the way) and various members of hotly tipped London outfit deary,. What this also means is openers Whitelands get to showcase their wares to a full room. Many of whom (including yours truly) are seeing them for the first time. Signed to Sonic Cathedral alongside tonight’s headliners, Whitelands have spent the past five years honing and perfecting their sound since first getting together back in 2017. The four-piece - founder members Etienne (vocals & guitar) and Jagun (drums) plus Vanessa (bass) and Michael (guitar) - might not quite be the finished article, but they’re certainly well on the way towards getting there if tonight’s exquisite performance is anything to go by. Fusing elements of shoegaze, dreampop, dub and the gothier elements of post-punk within their sonic palette, Whitelands make music that can change mood and tempo at the drop of a hat. Former singles “The Prophet & I” and “Setting Sun” are reminiscent of both AR Kane and The Sound respectively, while set closer “Born In Understanding” is one of the most beautiful soundscapes to emerge from a rehearsal room in many a year, its melancholic underbelly coming from a similar ballpark to Ride’s epic “Dreams Burn Down”. Despite only playing for thirty minutes, Whitelands are a revelation which doesn’t go amiss to a packed Lexington judging by the response they receive at the end, and if all else fails, drummer Jagun has a career in stand-up comedy in waiting judging by some of his between songs stories and quips.
For Lorelle Meets The Obsolete, this evening does feel like a case of unfinished business due to their enforced absence from UK shores. Playing as a four-piece - the band’s usual set-up when it comes to a live setting, Lorelle Meets The Obsolete are a focused and at times, incendiary beast that aren’t afraid to take things up a notch when and where necessary. Centred around the core duo of multi-instrumentalists Lorena Quintanilla and Alberto González, the Mexican outfit create a sound that traverses boundaries in a way every forward thinking psychedelic musical ensemble should be aiming to do. Progressive yet distinctive, LMTO have proved their worth as one of the most exciting bands on the circuit over the twelve years or so they’ve been recording and releasing music.
Unsurprisingly, the bulk of tonight’s set is lifted from recent long player Datura; an album that was essentially recorded live in the studio so easily translates to this kind of setting. The opening title track sets the scene impeccably while previous singles “Invisible” and “Dinamo” act as markers to switch time, tempo and instruments forthwith. With such a large back catalogue to choose from, LMTO drop in a welcome “Lineas En Hojas” off 2019’s De Facto and “Balance” off 2016’s fourth album of the same name. But its when they play an extended run through 2017 single “The Sound Of All Things” followed by an elongated “What’s Holding You?” - their first release on Sonic Cathedral back in 2014 - during the encore that the ceiling starts to shake and the roof feels like it might lift off any minute.
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