Dirty Projectors @ King Tut's, Glasgow, 19 Aug

David Longstreth and his current six-piece ensemble emanate a sense of pure joy tonight – this may be the best version of Dirty Projectors yet

Live Review by Lewis Wade | 20 Aug 2018

Westerman opens the evening in a slightly sparse King Tut's with little fanfare, just earnest soft-rock stylings, muted effects and brilliant Police-esque crooning. They're an unassuming trio, led by Will Westerman, making understated, but incredibly effective music, and sure to be making waves in the near future.

David Longstreth and his current six-piece ensemble arrive a little after 10 and get straight into a few choice cuts from their brilliant new album Lamp Lit Prose. Break-Thru is an early highlight that really emphasises the outward positivity that emanates from this incarnation of Dirty Projectors, a far cry from the reflective navel-gazing of last year's self-titled effort. This song and many others are chock-full of electronic and organic effects, the sort that has led some to criticise the music as overstuffed. However, everything coheres beautifully in a live setting (though the drums are sometimes a little too loud) to offer so much more than your standard indie-rock fare.

Beautiful Mother, from the group's collaborative effort with Björk, allows the three backing singers to showcase a fascinating vocal harmony as Longstreth takes a knee to focus on the guitar. I Feel Energy and That's a Lifestyle are another two new songs that showcase the outpouring of manic poptimism that the band now trade in. Following that there's a selection of fan favourites to up the ante – Impregnable Question, Swing Lo Magellan and Rise Above – before the sadly Syd-less Right Now ends the night on yet another high.

After years of making intricate, intelligent music that sometimes teeters on the edge of pretension, Longstreth now seems intent on having as much fun as possible. The long back catalogue makes it easy to keep things varied, but the sense of pure joy that the band embody elevates the material to another level – this may be the best version of Dirty Projectors yet.

https://dirtyprojectors.net/