30.11.11

Music preview: Little Dragon @ the Arches, Glasgow

Published by METRO

We all want friends in high places, don’t we? And I imagine that’s particularly true if you’re in the music industry. Well, with a recent appearance on Later… with Jools Holland and collaborations with Gorillaz and DJ Shadow under their belts, Little Dragon are probably better connected than your average band.

But it’s not all about contacts, you know. Since they emerged on to the scene with the release of their eponymous debut album in 2007, it’s their varied brand of dark electro and synth-pop that’s been winning them a growing number of admirers.

Fronted by radiant vocalist Yukimi Nagano – whose charisma can forgivably be associated with that of indie pin-up queen Karen O – the five-piece generate a sound that weaves a tapestry of musical influences, ranging from jazz to reggae to house to soul.

The band also retain a maturity that’s clearly taken years to acquire – they were formed at a Gothenburg school in 1996 – while possessing the energy of a youthful act just treading along the exciting borders of the mainstream.

So you see, that’s why Little Dragon are more than entitled to their impressive musical network, and entirely worthy of filling the vast, tunnelled interior of the Arches with their decibels tonight.