Jens Lekman, Mega Bog: Leaf Tea Room

Jens Lekman

Swedish pop maestro Jens Lekman was at Leaf for a long awaited show and Getintothis’ Paul Fitzgerald joined the smiling and dedicated crowd for a spellbinding evening of elegant charm and sweet melody.

It’s been a long time coming – Harvest Sun have been trying to bring Jens Lekman to Liverpool since 2009 – but it was more than worth the wait.

The show, much like his latest release, Life Will See You Now, saw him in an engaging and relaxed mood, absolutely captivating from the moment he took to the stage. His newer writing shows a more settled, content and mature side, lighter and less introspective, but still honed by his unique vision and gentle humour.

Backed by a tight three piece band, songs such as the bass-fed groove of “Whats That Perfume That You Wear” saw him embracing his inner disco self, and brought the room to a swift and steady bounce. Jens Lekman deals in the beauty of melody, and his honey sweet vocal leaps bring such life to the intriguing characters in the stories he tells.

And what stories. The perfect example of this came with ‘Hotwire The Ferris wheel‘, a song 13 years in the making, which details the story of a friend’s broken relationship, and her need for him to write a happy song about it. That melody, the keyboard lines, the subtlety of the lyric, it was imbued with a sense of familiarity, as though we’d known this song for years, not mere months.

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‘Your Arms Around Me‘, from 2007’s Night Falls Over Kortedala, and performed here solo, was another special moment, highlighting Jens Lekman‘s gift for storytelling and pure pop melodic stylings. Another clear favourite of the crowd, it was the most gentle and tender depiction of an avocado related finger injury we’re ever likely to hear.

This was a perfect evening of unapologetically shiny indie pop moments, from a performer rightly deserving of the acclaim he so easily and so regularly attracts. Our main hope as he left the stage was that Harvest Sun had already sent the email bidding for his return to Liverpool sometime soon. Like, next week.

Earlier, we’d been treated – and treated is definitely the word – to a beautiful, delicate set from New York‘s Mega Bog. Erin Birgy‘s experimental multi-layered latest work Happy Together, which flows cinematically through its themes and arrangements, was delivered here around intricate guitar lines, backed only with drums and stretched around almost whispered vocals.

It was an intriguing set from an artist we knew little of prior to this show, and Birgy‘s sound is one that celebrates its peculiarity and merits much broader attention.

Pictures by Getintothis’ Warren Millar