Crack

An expectant crowd packed out Shepherd’s Bush Empire to end the first weekend of December by huddling together to watch magical Swedish electro-soul foursome Little Dragon, whose third album, Ritual Union, has elevated them from the underground and undercurrent to the mainstream.

Hoping for a typically glowing performance from diminutive singer Yukimi Nagano, whose size, temperament and character inspired the band’s name, the 29-year-old looked jaded, lacklustre and ready for some home-time around the Yuletide fire. Being half-Japanese, half-Swedish-American and blessed with a voice and attitude of a fallen angel, she is usually the most captivating and energising of performers, but here she was only able to manage a tired wave as she led her group off stage. Forget about any encore.

It’s no surprise, though, when you consider that since setting out on an album-promoting tour on May 5 (beginning where it all started in 1996 at Parken in Gothenburg, where the quadruple squatted in an arts commune called the Seal Colonie) they have racked up nearly 100 gigs. Their current run halts next Monday, December 12, in Munich, having also taken in Brussels, Paris, Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne this week. That will be their 98th live show since Easter.

The tour has seen them troop from Scandinavia, across the Benelux countries, from eastern and western Europe, all over America and play numerous global festivals. Little Dragon have breathed their tickling, fiery tunes on a wider audience but at this stage of a mammoth tour, they were visibly out of puff.

Here, in west London, Nagano’s yearning, sinuous voice held up, but there was next to no audience interaction as the band rattled through their set, largely playing tracks from Ritual Union, with a few dance floor bangers from their previous two albums slung in.

There was a brief introduction to her bearded bandmates (drummer Erik Bodin, bassist Fredrik Källgren Wallin and keyboard player Håkan Wirenstrand), but no pretend love for the English capital, and she spoke only a handful of times. Once was to point out that her father, Mr Nagano, was in the audience somewhere. The impression was this little girl was shattered and longed for familiar warmth and comfort.

The tour-bus will be refuelled in February, and Little Dragon will be back in the Smoke on February 24 at the Forum. Undoubtedly that gig will be a more spirited and blazing, with the band having had some much-needed rest and relaxation. As for the Shepherd’s Bush Empire performance, it was flat and subdued. One of the groups of 2011 have worked their tails off to gain stellar ascendance, but right now this dragon wants its cave.



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Words: Oliver Pickup

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