Swedish troubadour Jens Lekman is a master of delivering his warm, intimate yet often poppily universal songs in ever changing ways, and tonight was no exception.
Following earlier tours which have been performed a cappella or accompanied by anything from a cd player to a sting quartet and choir, Jens' trip to Heaven this time saw him paired with just drummer Addison Rogers while Lekman himself handled guitar, samples and vocal duties.
Opening with new track Every Little Hair Knows Your Name, lines such as "I started working out when we broke up, I can do one hundred push ups” immediately caught the audience's attention and drew them into Jens' world of small dramas and big emotions.
Falling somewhere between Jarvis Cocker and Belle and Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch in terms of warmth, wit and lyrical inventiveness, Lekman is a naturally engaging performer, able to grip the crowd with his between song banter one minute and by dancing around the stage like an aeroplane the next.
Introducing recent track Waiting For Kirsten, Jens talked about his failed attempts to stalk Hollywood actress Kirsten Dunst while she was filming in his hometown of Gothenburg. He was ultimately thwarted however when Dunst couldn't get into the club he was planning to meet her in, as he revealed:
“In Gothenburg, there are no VIP lines and they don’t let you into clubs based on how rich you are or whether or not you’ve made love to Spider-Man.”
Old favourites such as A Sweet Summer’s Night On Hammer Hill and I Saw Her In The Anti-War Demonstration saw the enchanted crowd singing and bopping along, while delicate takes on Black Cab and Postcard To Nina were met with hushed reverence.
The title track from the recent An Argument With Myself EP was another highlight and bodes well for Jens' long awaited third album proper, the release of which will hopefully see more magical shows like this - stuffed full of confetti, Ten City house covers and air glockenspiel.
Heaven indeed.
'Gavin Cullen'