Sondre Lerche
Live @ Scala, London, 03/09/05
Sondre Lerche, the Norwegian singer/songwriter/crooner, is very charming. His music, lyrics, appearance, and especially his peculiar small-talk in-between songs will easily have any man or woman charmed right out of their pants. All this jolly charm is of course on the verge of being a bit too much, but Sondre seems to have calculated it specifically not to be either too dark or too happy. This is why Sondre Lerche's music works as a great antidote against such "darker" artists like Will Oldham, Bright Eyes, Smog etc. Live it works rather splendidly as well, with Sondre playing a balanced mix of songs from his two albums, and even though he's alone on stage with only his guitar as company, his intriguing charisma and intricate guitar playing is enough to transfix everyone at this sold-out show. If I get a chance to see Sondre Lerche again I think I'll bring my girlfriend and get a bit drunk, so I can pretend to be a drunken romantic for a night (Sondre's music suits as the perfect soundtrack for such an escapade).
- Simon Tagestam