There are just those artists that intrinsically move you because they come from a place of such creative depth that they win you over without hesitation and wholly from the first. Lord Huron, for me, are those artists. As they humbly took to the stage on Thursday at the Junction in Cambridge, (on tour of for their new album, Vide Noir), I was already impressed having listened to their music, but it was about to go much, much further. Some bands sadly lose something in translation on stage; it happens. This is not one of those bands.
Frontman Ben Schneider’s voice is a wonder really. He was conjuring memories of long-ago artists for me like Hank Williams and Patsy Cline, and, more recent artists such as Dwight Yoakum. He has mastered the art of having just enough sadness, longing and a slight tear in his voice to evoke such bittersweet delivery that I found myself in a bit of awe. They struck me as old souls sharing old stories of love, loss and emotional wreckage with the most sincere and proficient authenticity. With swimming harmonies, lofty and dreamy reverb coupled with enough grit to take it out of the overly-affected range, 6-piece band Lord Huron make a sound that is just achingly perfect, song after song.
They come across like travelling troubadours from a lost time, weaving their fusion of old school country, slight folk, with a hint of rock-a-billy and bluegrass, all the sinewy notes meshed with balance amongst all the supremely talented musicians that comprise the group. With a full-packed set, many songs flowing straight into the next without hesitation, the absolute stand out for me was a song off the new album, ‘Wait By The River’. Lyrically, its just beautiful. It’s slow and steady but when Schneider injects his emotive, untethered passion into it, all building to the crescendo of the upper register, it’s breath-taking. And, as he approaches that tipping point in the song, Schneider swept off his hat taking it to his chest in a grand gesture, like something out of an old movie, I felt my heart crush a bit. All I could think was, this band is truly something special, they are a genuine jewel.
I will leave you with this thought-be a fan of the band, I can promise you won’t regret it.
Follow Lord Huron on Twitter here.
Photos by ©PremiumPhotographic
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