Dirty Loops in London At Electric Brixton

Written and Captured By | Morris Shamah

Dirty Loops played their first show in London on Monday night, and despite some minor-but-major technical issues, they delivered a polished, high energy set to a nearly-sold-out Electric Brixton.

The Swedish trio took the stage promptly at 9pm, playing without a support act. The group was quickly beset by issues, as lead vocalist and keyboardist Jonah Nilsson was facing problems with his in-ear monitors as early as the third song, “Sayonara Love.” Despite attempts to solve it, complete with a time-killing bass solo interlude from bassist Henrik Linder to entertain the audience, Jonah’s monitors continued to act up throughout the evening. Jonah did excellently under the circumstances, continuing to play and sing on key despite not being able to hear himself or the band. Aside from the occasional grimace when the monitors delivered a blast of sound at what must have been a painful volume, the issue would have gone unnoticed by the crowd.

The Stockholm based band, rounded out by drummer Aron Mellergård and accentuated by a touring keyboardist and vocalist, played a nearly two hour set of originals and covers. Covers such as Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” and Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” were reimagined in Dirty Loops’ signature jazz-dance arena-pop style. Even originals intended to branch out the sound, such as “Old Armando Had A Farm,” which is clearly inspired by americana and bluegrass, were performed in the same fast, funky style that dominated the evening. While the band’s original tunes certainly went over well, their fun reimagining’s were the highlights of the show. “Baby” by Justin Bieber got an extended bass solo, and Britney Spears’ “Circus” became a showpiece for Jonah’s impressive vocal chops.

By the end of the set the band had won over the audience and clearly found their groove, however, the monitor issues, as well as a dead bass battery, meant the finale was start-and-stop. The final song of the main set, the catchy “Work Shit Out,” needed to be restarted, and the encore, which was off to a promising start with a fantastic rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” was then de-railed by a non-functional microphone. The penultimate song, “Rock You,” was “dedicated” Henrick to the batteries.

See more photos of Dirty Loops HERE

Despite it all, Dirty Loops continued to play an impressive, tight live show, one clearly benefitting from the road testing it’s received thus far. If the audience reaction is any indication, the trio will be back in London to show what they can do when they’re not plagued by technical problems soon enough.

Photos By | Morris Shamah