iamamiwhoami
Electric Brixton, May 30th
It’s odd to think, standing in Brixton Electric awaiting iamamiwhoami, that this band was once Lady Gaga. This band was once Trent Reznor. This band was once Bjork. Back in 2009, highly stylised teaser trailers, cryptic messages accompanied by ambient dream pop were making the rounds, causing electronic fanboys and girls to squeal and squirm with delight, speculating wildly about potential identities.
We now know that the immaculately-designed enigma came courtesy of the waiflike singer and artist Jonna Lee, who brings that atmosphere of ethereal power that only accompanies the most accomplished female singers; your Bjorks, your PJ Harveys, your Fever Rays. Tonight almost seems like a dream. A large white square occupies most of the stage and Lee appears to a hysteria and mania that many artists take years to cultivate.
The hype surrounding iamamiwhoami’s second release Bounty has been mixed. A more complicated record then debut Kin, while that was a slice of heavenly Scandinavian pop, Bounty is a record you’ll fall in love with more each listen.
The industrial thud and hissing of o begins, and the crowd hold on for the electro pop beat to hit before the place turns into an ambience-drenched dance party. The set unfolds with a soaring Good Worker, while the criminally catchy Play sees the six-foot-tall gay couple in front of us dancing like they’ve never heard music before. It’s during the thudding mechanical beats of In Due Order where iamamiwhoami truly shines. Jonna Lee dances in unison with her otherworldly backing singer as the white cube which dominates the stage flashes manically, pushing the crowd into a full-blown mania.
The set ends on clump, a schizophrenic synth-laden closer, and when the song is over and the band leave the stage, that white cube still pulses ominously. The crowd now panting in unison stare eagerly at the cube as it flickers, dims and eventually dies. iamiamwhoami have disappeared as mysteriously as they appeared, leaving us with a sense of sadness, joy and wonder.
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Words: Emily Waddell
Photos: Umit Koseoglu
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