Live: LET’S EAT GRANDMA // Heaven, London
Let’s Eat Grandma perform at London’s Heaven in support of their sophomore album, I’m All Ears.
Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth are nothing if not talented, eclectic and… controversial, and not merely because of their band’s name – Let’s Eat Grandma. We’ve had the chance to attend their most recent London show at Heaven and we were amazed.
The multi-instrumentalist duo delivered an electrifying live performance that has the crowd clapping and singing with their hands up high from start to finish. Described as ‘the freaky teenagers that reinvent pop’ by the Guardian, Rosa and Jenny do not shy away from giving their all on stage. Between playing bass, piano and saxophone, the girls are a delight to our ears, eyes and hearts. Mixing subtle EDM undertones in Whitewater with more alternative, lighter pop in It’s Not Just Me, the music is sultry, catchy and takes you back to your first real summer love back when you were 17.
The duo makes the audience their own from the very first second of the show. Between jumping, running around and playing bass whilst lying down on stage as dark, coloured strobe lights hit to the beat, everyone is electrified by the multi-sensory experience they offer. Falling Into Me leads with an electronic tone, accentuated by the strong drums and a repetitive chorus, entrancing the audience. I Will Be Waiting transports us into a quiet, contemplative mood starting with its eerie piano and growing in power during the chorus, as Rosa’s and Jenny’s voices tell the story of romantic longing to the ever stronger bass and drums.
What is really surprising about the girls from Let’s Eat Grandma is how they counter their docile looks and Rapunzel-like hair with edgy outfits (all stripes and black leather), unconventional dance routines and music that haunts you long after the performance is finished. Indeed, whilst the 9 minute long I’m All Ears certainly calls to the softer side of their entrancing music, Donnie Darko, an 11 minute long track, is a true musical journey, making us jump up and down with its sugary pop beat, recalling the disco times of the 70’s.
The girls finished their set with the slow and spectral Deep Six Textbook, which following the more upbeat numbers had the audience in a more reflective mood. Why travel when you can go and see Let’s Eat Grandma live and be transported through space and time all at once? One thing is for certain, Rosa and Jenny – We Are All Ears!
Photos: Monika Wilczynska