The band performs to a sold out crowd at KOKO in Camden.

It’s always summer with these three.

Swiping sunny Californian breeze for windy British weather is not an easy thing to do, but London has always made LANY feel at home.

Tonight surely marks a special moment in the band’s history. Two years ago they were playing for a bunch of people at their first ever headline London show. And I remember it well. A small bar upstairs at O2 Islington, then Camden’s favourite The Barfly and now, a sold out 1,4k cap KOKO. It’s been hell of a journey. As LANY announced recently, their self-titled debut album is on its way so this seems like just the start.

The lights dim out and it takes seconds before the audience bursts into the loud screaming. A vital element of LANY‘s aesthetic – a red rose – can be spotted among the crowd, being waved over our heads as a beautiful welcome gesture to three figures slowly emerging on stage.

The rumbling of the backdrop ceases the moment the flashing lights stop and the Nashville-via-NYC-via-LA dives headfirst into their enticing offering yea, babe, no way. Despite a little heartbreak, summer clearly starts now.

If the first song kept a few individuals standing still or sitting on the couches on the balcony levels, the old-school Bad, Bad, Bad brings along the ultimate dancing vibes. What’s more, frontman Paul Klein makes a brave move, judging on the fact it’s just the beginning of the set, and stagedives into and onto the eager crowd. Not that anyone complains, naturally.

“Will you dance with me?” we hear from vocalist before the band showcases their most recent offering, a sunny daze of a tune Good Girls. Extraordinary as it is, the song has been out for a few days but the crowd appears to know all the lyrics already.

LANY are a quintessence of ethereal sounds packed into the dreamy version of alt-pop. A bright concoction of 80s infused catchy synths with an R&B valour. The multi-layered structures of their tracks never seem too lavish or too extravagant, thus the reception from the crowd is respectively essential.

But first of all, these three men are pretty good musicians. I’ve encountered the statement that electro-pop bands can’t actually play any instruments, and sadly that is true in some cases, but LANY present well-crafted songwriting musical skills. That’s something you can thoroughly see at their live shows.

It might be Klein’s guitar solo when on his knees in the infectious like you lots or Jake Goss‘ precise drum work that makes the core of frisky 4ever, or Leslie Priest‘s majestic synths filling up the track quit. To mention just a few.

Walk Away and Someone Else slow us a little bit allowing Paul to change onto keys, proving once more that LANY exceeds any limitations in their own musical development.

“London, London, London. I feel like London loves me and that’s super cool. Every time we come back we feel more in love. We just played Barfly and now this…”, he says and indeed it is impressive. The band’s fast growing fan base is the best example here.

Stepping aside from the well-known repertoire, we’ve also come down here tonight to hear new material. From what the band presents, new tracks are more intense, but still sound personal, within the lyrical content with an immersed electro backdrop. The Breakup serves heavier beat alongside emotionally charged direct confession.

“This one is about London”, of course current location makes a perfect fit in tonight’s set. The loud singalongs echo and amplify as LANY drop the next tune WHERE THE HELL ARE MY FRIENDS, representing their everlasting tear and yearning for California once more.

At this point we’re all fully captured in a dreamy haze, but pink skies lure us even more into LANY‘s blissful soundscape. Warm vocals don’t have to persuade us too long that “It’s better, you and I, under pink skies”.

Made In Hollywood throws us back into the atmospheric synths and slowly into trio’s world of Acronyms as the genuine (OMG) prepares us for ILYSB. With almost 45 million plays on Spotify it is fair to say this track is a fan favourite. It is also a graceful nod towards the old good day as ILYSB was one of the first songs LANY released in 2014.

LANY round off with the closing track from their forthcoming debut album, It Was Love, which may appear as a tad too sad for a thrilling ending to this energetic show. However, the guitar-laid bridge builds up to an illustrious crescendo and we simply realise, that’s how it’s supposed to end.

“Thank you so much. We love you. Thank you for being here”, and they’re gone.

LANY make heartbreak feel good just as they make love hurt. Undoubtedly, there is a blurry illusion that comes along with it, an emotive facade they’ve built around them, but that’s exactly what they do. We all go through some kind of summery flings from time to time, LANY are just making sure we have the right soundtrack so we could dance it all out. The sunny days are just around the corner after all.

Photos: Kasia Osowiecka