O2 Love Music Column – October 2012
Fans of art school chanteuse Natasha Khan, better known as Bat For Lashes, will be in for a treat this month. Third album The Haunted Man is set for release on the 15th with Khan swooping into the O2 ABC six days later on the 21st. If the, ahem, stripped down artwork of the album and the understated yet beguiling lead single Laura are anything to go by, Khan’s latest effort is poised to be her most intimate yet. Bolstered by an eclectic and flamboyant back catalogue, this will surely prove an awe-inspiring and memorable show.
Conversely, there’s no news of any new material from synth-pop stalwarts Heaven 17 (02 ABC, 24 Oct) but after a successful 30th anniversary tour of debut album Penthouse and Pavement last year, it’s something of a moot point. You know what you’re going for; a night of unbridled nostalgia soundtracked, undoubtedly, by the ever funky Fascist Groove Thang, the brooding, bubbling Let Me Go and, of course, a little unshakeable dancefloor anthem by the name of Temptation. As the song itself says: 'You can take it or leave it, but you better believe it.'
The meteoric rise of one-time Edinburgh quartet Django Django (02 ABC, 25 Oct) has been as unexpected as it is warranted. With their eponymous debut all but guaranteed to show face in album polls come the end of the year (a fresh Mercury nomination included), this sort-of homecoming places the psychedelic art-school boys at that sweet-spot between the first flush of critical acclaim and ever-growing commercial appeal. At a time when breakthrough local acts are looking thin on the ground, the Djangos are restoring the cosmic balance.
By comparison, The Walkmen (02 ABC, 28 Oct) have been around the block few times. Yet this year's Heaven, their seventh no less, showcased a new facet to the New York quintet once tar-brushed by The Strokes. These days The Walkmen sound a world away from their coarse early years, buoyed by fatherhood and various reality checks into a mature, grand and enveloping outfit. It’s a fortunate, stately position that few bands can even dream of attaining, at least while they're still pulling in the plaudits. Miss this chance to soak it up at your peril.