Samuel Eastgate is solo in his new guise LA PRIEST tonight.
Now on Domino Records label he fronted Late of the Pier in the mid 2000s, maturing like most people of his age, seeing the promise of the pop song palette without the landfill indie clichés.
The vocals are an obvious reference to Parade era Prince, which are allowed in Eastgate’s case due to the odd scrapbook of sounds he has brought together on this years Inji album.
The melodies have an eastern learning that again separates Eastgate from the pack.
The DIY nature of things from the instrument set up to the home made glued tin foil light rig makes apparent that Eastgate is making this solo venture a total experience linked to the music he is performing.
Sampling the audience collectively and individually to make the basis of the beats for a number of songs is pulled off when someone who understands vaguely what is happening steps up.
Plonky synths of tracks “rarely played”, such as ‘Occasion’, sound amazing, however it is a clear that the best songs on the album are the ones that have been thought out as traditional songs and not experimentation for its own sake.
The layers of chords and stabs are akin to the 90s RnB of fellow Domino artist Blood Orange.
LA PRIEST has a lot more affected vocals; echo and delay whips warp his voice to the point of sounding like an arpeggiator.
It is a Tuesday night, yet somehow it has became a club set that you’d expect after midnight.
In other words, well worth catching.
Words: Paul Choi
