Local Natives @ Heaven - 2 March 2010

There’s an unfortunate drone that fills Heaven tonight. I think it’s the sound of people who don’t want to be there, people who’ve acquired a ticket because of their contacts. Local Natives don’t deserve it, and to their credit, they don’t let it get to them. This is probably the biggest UK show they’ve played so far, and they’re not about to let it fall on deaf ears. The chatter can persist, but this Californian five piece will fight it ten times harder.

We’re lucky in the UK to have caught this stream four months early. Local Natives’ debut Gorilla Manor was released here in November last year, but has only just hit their home country’s shelves two weeks ago. It’s little wonder they want to treat us. And treat us they do.

They’re one of those bands that simply come alive on stage. All of a sudden, the four-prong vocal harmonies are smack bang in your face, the ad hoc percussion is jumping from all four walls, and the lead-heavy guitars pound you from right in front. These Californians leave no stone unturned; they destroy their one-album back catalogue, making the most of their multi-instrumentalism through gems such as Airplanes, Wide Eyes and Cubism Dream.

They’ve learned early how to suspend an audience too. As if Sun Hands wasn’t an emphatic enough finish, their return to stage with “our friend Paul” on trumpet gave us an even more resounding Stranger Things.

The mumblers might have been audible tonight, but fortunately they were drowned out by a band on the road to bigger and better things. If you missed out, look for them on 15th June at Shepherds Bush Empire.