Bearded Magazine / Live Reviews / First Aid Kit

First Aid Kit @ Club Academy, Manchester 24.02.12

If Swedish sisters First Aid Kit prove anything, it’s that words of wisdom need not come from age. On the critically acclaimed The Lions Roar, the sisters Soderberg – one of them not even out of her teens - spoke with brave courage and the folk/country they played conjured, less images of a Scandinavian paradise with their perfect healthcare system, and more of the dusty west of the US. Tonight, it seems everyone in Manchester has come out to experience just that. There’s so many people in fact that they’ve been bumped up from the small recesses of the Academy 3 to the larger Club Academy.

Feb 24th, 2012 at Club Academy, Manchester / By Alex Yau
First Aid Kit Although you can sense modesty to the sisters when they come on stage, plus a drummer, their sound is much grander. ‘Emmylou’, an unsurprising crowd favourite, emitted a gentle warmth throughout the venue with its slide guitars and plinky-plonky rhythm. Such warmth took a nostalgic turn as older track ‘Hard Believer’, a heart wrenching tale of how “love is tough,” reminded everyone of how polished First Aid Kit have become. The most stunning track of the night wasn’t the gorgeous ‘Blue,’ nor was it the croon of ‘The Old Routine.’ It was the a cappella version of ‘Ghost Town,’ and despite its minimalism, it completely dazzled the audience.

Their support act Samantha Crain joined them for their final song as they finished with an energetic cover of Conor Oberst’s ‘King of the World.’ A perfect ending for one of the finest duos in modern folk right now.

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