Monday 17th April
Laetitia Sadier has been consistent and prolific since the sad dawn of Stereolab. Her newest outfit, the Latatitia Sadier Source Ensemble is by no means a radical departure from Sadier’s previous projects, but that’s not to say this come’s with harm to the quality of their output. Their new album ‘Find Me Finding You’ is a pleasure to listen to and having been a longtime Stereolab fan, I was delighted to find out of her band’s UK tour and was lucky enough to catch them at Glasgow’s CCA.
The set opened with the album’s single, ‘Undying Love for Humanity’, and by the end of the song it became immediately clear that this band is somewhat special to see live. There was a palpably good atmosphere between every member, visible through their exchanging of smirks and smiles. For a band with Sadier’s name at the centre, it was obvious that the rest of the members weren’t just a bunch of session musicians; each of them was seething with effortless character and all of them with a unique flare. Particular impressive was the Emmanuel Mario somehow managed to sing, play synth and drums throughout most songs. This is not to say that his talents ended at his virtuoso musicianship, for in keeping with the rest of the band, he was very likeable and an engaging performer.
As the night progressed, the audience got quieter between songs and became increasingly attentive to the band up to the point of their being an unmistakable pin drop silence right before the band played their next track. By the end of the show, the band were encored to which Sadier apologies that they didn’t have many songs but they would play one more. They played two. The evening finished on a surprising cover of the jazz classic, ‘Summertime’ and Sadier’s interpretation of the song was wonderful, never slipping into cheesiness but retaining a playful and smooth delivery. Upon finishing the song, she announced that she would be at the merchandise stand if anyone wanted to get a badge from her; I didn’t get a badge but did speak to her, and she was one of the most responsive kindest musicians I’ve ever met. It was clear that she loved the night, telling me it was the best night of her tour so far, because of how responsive the audience were. It was exactly this mutual appreciation that made it such a fantastic show.
Image: MNPHNC GRRRL/Flickr