MUSIC REVIEW: GROUPLOVE - LIVE AT THE W HOTEL (SXSW 2011)

Energetic & Frenetic Indie-Pop Lifting All Comers on Their Communal Wings

By: Ramus Dahl

March 19, 2011

(March 18, 2011 in Austin, TX) Up from the street, we climbed the stairs of the W Hotel on the west side of Austin to the rooftop stage area where Grouplove was kicking off their Friday night showcase. The W as a venue seemed an odd pairing with the overall atmospheric impression of the band. Something about the formality of a high-end hotel sort of diametrically opposed the casual, carefree vibrations of Grouplove, who formed fortuitously on the isle of Crete, like putting an ascot and tails over your swimsuit and flip flops.

Nonetheless, the combined effort of Hannah Hooper and Christian Zucconi from New York, Andrew Wessen and Ryan Rabin from LA, and Sean Gadd from London was something the audience at the W desperately needed. The surrounding venues were pulsating with floor-rattling bass beats and the whirl and fuzz of early Friday night electronic DJ spots. And then, under the clearing night sky, the moon set bright and low over the Austin skyline, the foot stomping charge of Christian’s acoustic caught rhythm with the snap of the snare, and we were all swept into a purely organic experience as if a sudden coastal wind had just sent the freeing scent of the sea over our heads, and the siren song of Hannah’s harmonies on “Gold Coast” gently asked, “So where you from, son?And are you a troubled one?And if so, come under my wings.”

Given the collaborative intimacy of the band and the raw authenticity that echoed behind the emotive explosion of their music, being under their “wings” was exactly where we wanted to be.

I haven’t had a lot of experience with the music scene out of Los Angeles, but Grouplove is a high-quality act that extends beyond any locality. There is a universality to Grouplove--a quality that transcends the confines of scene and labels, which is refreshing.  Their set demanded a commitment through the untapped energy and honesty of their stage presence--a kinetic push and pull I haven’t felt since the chaotic choruses of Broken Social Scene or The Flaming Lips.  

Without question, SXSW is and has always been a place for bands to impress, but there also are those bands that seem unchained from such weighty obligations, who just get lost in the pure euphoria of playing music. Grouplove seemed as entranced by the spirit that flowed through their set as we were, and we were all caught up in something wholly outside of the scene we happened to be standing in.

And even then, as they pounded and paraded through “Colours,” shattering the lines between artist and audience, Grouplove made sure to communicate clearly...

“Up, up in the air

And I run around, round, round, round this down town and act like I don't care.

So when you see me flying by the planet's moon,

You don't need to explain if everything's changed

Just know I'm just like you.”

Grouplove is a wing to ride on. This band had caught a quick and powerful wind into the great beyond, and they're hell-bent on taking us all with them. With only a self-entitled EP released in 2010, we were lucky to catch these guys on the up-sweep.  

Standout Tracks: "Colours," "Gold Coast"

For Fans Of: The Flaming Lips, Broken Social Scene