Beach House are a band we have watched gradually rise through the venues in Glasgow and tonight they’re at the peak of their powers playing to a sold out Arches.
The magnetic presence of vocalist Victoria Legrand is the sole focal point for most as she comments about being “in a cave” between a set built mainly from the brilliant new album Bloom and 2010’s gloriously sensual Teen Dream.
Stood in front of panels of horizontal white lights Legrand stands out almost in silhouette as she delivers each beautifully sculptured dream pop number with seemingly effortless ease.
The band may seem uncomfortable speaking to the audience but when you create the kind of sexually tinged atmosphere the Baltimore duo (tonight performing a trio) create there is little need for chat.
The delicacy of tracks like ‘Lover of Mine’ combined with Legrand’s dreamily effortless vocals has the packed Arches audience in awe as the band comment about this being the quietest crowd of the tour – it is a Monday night.
Beach House are catchy without being in your face and their music gives such a comforting feeling, the soaring latest single ‘Lazuli’ is as beautiful as it is uplifting and arguably their best known track ‘Norway’ has you singing along to Legrand’s sultry vocals with a smile plastered to your face.
You run out of superlatives to describe this band’s sound, there’s little doubt they’re the front runners when it comes to dream pop these days and four albums down the line are showing little signs of shying away from this challenge.
Beach House are a band that are so confident at what they do and how they do it it’s difficult to see them not jumping up a venue size again the next time they visit Glasgow, but I for one will cling onto memories of them playing the smaller ones.
Photos: Gordon Ballantyne
