Gig Review: The Lumineers - iTunes Festival, Roundhouse, Camden ✭✭✭✭✭

THE LUMINEERS

Photo courtesy of iTunes Festival 2013

iTunes Festival 2013

Roundhouse, Camden

Now, I'm going to be honest, I'd not heard much of The Lumineers music previous to this gig, so I didn't really know what to expect. Of course, I had heard Ho Hey countless times on radio and TV adverts, and I'd also heard Stubborn Love before. But what I saw last night at the Roundhouse in Camden, was a great presence of musicianship who certainly know how to work the crowd, with their folk-rock infused songs.

Hailing from Denver, Colorado, The two founding members and songwriters of The Lumineers are Wesley Schultz (lead vocals, guitar) and Jeremiah Fraites (drums, percussion). Neyla Pekarek (cello, vocals) joined the band in 2010. Stelth Ulvang (piano), and Ben Wahamaki (bass), joined the band as full-time members in 2012.

Taking to the stage, their first song of choice was Submarines, The Lumineers most recent single which is laden with piano riffs and builds throughout. The audience got to sing along with Ain't Nobody's Problem - a catchy little number which was received by the crowd. Another singalong moment was the fourth song of the night, their biggest hit to date Ho Hey. The band did the first verse completely unplugged - no mics, no amps etc and the crowd singing with them as if it were a huge pub party! The mics and amps came back into force for the chorus and whipped everyone into a frenzy.

The Lumineers on the 'B' stage
Photo courtesy of iTunes Festival 2013

Later in the proceedings, a B stage was made in the middle of the Roundhouse out of wooden crates and a few mics on stands. I had never seen this before at the iTunes Festival, the band coming through the audience playing their guitars above their heads as they walked to the new stage, settling down to play Darlene, followed by Elouise - a truly magical moment for the crowd to get up close to the band with no barriers.

With an encore of three songs, finishing with Big Parade, The Lumineers brought to a close a perfect evening of live music. Vocals were spot on, the band play with fluidity and energy, and after hearing their music, they will certainly be on top of my playlist for a long while to come, and watch out as they will become even bigger in the years to come.

The band’s numerous performances and nominations cement what has been a phenomenal year so far for the Denver five-piece who have sold over 2 million copies of their debut self-titled album globally and over 3.5 million single downloads of their debut single ‘Ho Hey’. In the UK, the album has hit the 300,000 mark, reaching an official chart high at #8, while  ‘Ho Hey’ is also certified Platinum. Both the album and single have been fluctuating in the UK iTunes top 10 since release last year with sales increasing week on week.

Five stars ✭✭✭✭✭

thelumineers.com
www.itunesfestival.com