Photo courtesy NewYork.Metromix.com
On Friday Night, Little Dragon took to the stage in a big way at New York City’s Terminal 5. It was a sold-out show and every inch of the venue was packed with die-hard Dragon fans who didn't miss a single opportunity to dance, even with the less than minimal arm room.
The Swedish electronic band was in good form, and front woman Yukimi Nagano seemed to radiate heat waves right from the show’s opening song (a standout track called "Looking Glass" from the album Machine Dreams). She seamlessly and strategically embodied different masters of the art throughout the show: she was both jazz legend Anita O’Day and disco maven Sylvester. Pet Shop Boys and Janis Joplin. And all the while she effortlessly served the band’s signature song stylings perfectly, and at a piping hot temperature.
Little Dragon has always had a flare for being a pleasurable dance conundrum. A cold, withdrawn approach to at-times-heartbreaking subjects that get lost in mechanical yet undeniably groovy instrumentals appeals to audiences of a certain age for obvious reasons. There are, undoubtedly, times in all of our lives when we catch ourselves trying to appear removed and indifferent, when really there’s a civil war of emotions secretly taking place inside. Little Dragon spoke so strongly to this concept on Friday night that, by the show’s end, there was a palpable feeling of “Yeah, we danced our asses off, but we explored the depths of our psyches as well” hanging heavy in the air.
Highlights of the evening included the heartfelt and pulsating slow jam “Twice,” in which Yukimi shook her head in despair more times than Aretha Franklin, and an encore selection—the much-hyped track “Little Man” from their new album Ritual Union.
Read about Little Dragon in OUT's November travel issue, on stands Oct. 25.
--JORDAN SHAVAREBI
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