The Lumineers Charm Crowds At iTunes Festival 2013

REVIEW: Colorado clan bring their folk sound to the Roundhouse...

Wednesday, September 4, 2013 - 14:58

Following the likes ofLady Gaga and The Lumineers' turn to take to the stage at this year's iTunes Festival, and following a number of festival appearances from the group, it promised to be great night of live music.

Feeling: With their debut single Ho Hey being one of the most talked about tracks of the last year, there was certainly a buzz in the air as the Roundhouse’s sellout audience stood waiting in anticipation for The Lumineers to take the stage.

The Look: Bare feet, boots and braces seem to be recurring features of many folk bands these days, and The Lumineers certainly met the mark. Paired with button-up shirts and the signature trilbies of founding members Wesley Schutlz and Jeremiah Fraites, the band looked just the part.

Tunes: Easily working through most of their self-titled debut and several other tracks, including a rendition of Bob Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues, the band played a variety of lively and occasionally heart-soothing folk songs. From the intimacy of tracks such as Falling In Love to the more vibrant foot-stomper Flowers In Your Hair, the band were able to take the audience through both moments of cheerful sing-alongs and musical intimacy.

Ho Hey was the natural crowd pleaser of the night, regardless of some shaky audience participation at the start.

Banter: Towards the end of their set, the five-piece took to the crowd to perform unreleased tracks Darlene and Elouise in-the-round. Suitably, frontman Schultz quickly demanded that fans ‘put away the phones’ so as to actually enjoy the performance.

Special Guests: For members Stelth Ulvang, Jeremiah Fraites, Wesley Schultz, Neyla Pekarek and Ben Wahamaki to collectively be playing a range of essential folk instruments, there really wasn’t any need for additional hands.

Sweat Factor: With energy levels as high as theirs and endless swapping of guitars for tambourines, it was no surprise that the band worked up quite a sweat. Although for calmer tracks such as Slow It Down, they were able to give themselves a few momentary breaks.

Summary: Although firmly established as a band before Mumford & Sons came onto the scene, it’s still hard not to draw comparisons and, although simplicity is part of The Lumineers’ charm, sadly some of their songs fall short of their performance.

Set List:

1. Submarines

2. Ain’t Nobody’s Problem

3. Flowers in Your Hair

4. Ho Hey

5. Classy Girls

6. Subterranean Homesick Blues (Boy Dylan cover)

7. Dead Sea

8. Slow It Down

9. Falling in Love

10. Charlie Boy

11. Darlene