First Aid Kit @ Oxford ArtsFactory, Sydney (9/09/10)

Mon 13th Sep, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Stockholm‘s First Aid Kit put on one of the more exciting and intimate gigs I’ve been to in recent times. The sibling duo of Klara and Johanna Soderberg had the audience at Oxford Art Factory wholly transfixed with their unique brand of folk for well over an hour.

Before the first chord had been strummed it was clear that these were not your average teenage sisters. Their dress, hair and even mannerisms were so completely referenced from 1970s figures such as Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell and even fellow Swedes ABBA that it was almost humorous. But the fact that their music also clearly and skillfully pays homage to this era makes their appearance seem unforced and complementary to the overall performance.

The girls came out scorching with lead single and crowd favorite Hard Believer the second song off the ranks. This set the benchmark for the remainder of the show, with the crowd visibly excited by the sheer quality of the duo-particularly the incredible strength and range of Johanna’s voice. This was further spotlighted when they put aside the microphones, urged the audience to remain silent and played an acoustic song that echoed beautifully around the venue. They repeated this trick for the second and final song of the encore, coming down off the stage and standing amongst the crowd for sweetly sung lyrics about Iraq and the Middle East.

The strength of their debut The Big Black and Blue was evident throughout the show, however there is no denying that First Aid Kit’s real talent lies in providing skin tingling good covers of tracks we all know and love. Not only did they give us the cover of Fleet Foxes Tiger Mountain Peasant Song that launched their career in 2008, but we were also graced with a rendition of Fever Ray’s When I Grow Up. This particular cover paid homage to mentor Karin Dreijer Andersson who released their debut album on her label Rabid Records.

For two young girls speaking in their second language, the between song banter with the crowd was very entertaining. First it was a little bit of sisterly bickering, then it was humorous responses to a slightly sleazy crowd member and finally the girls called for suggestions for an unnamed song. It is little treats like this, combined with the unplugged moments, that make the concert going experience on a rainy cold night so completely worthwhile.

Check out the photos from the gig