GIG REVIEW: La Sera/Race Horses/Tigercats @ White Heat, Madame Jojo’s, Soho

La Sera, the new solo project of Katy Goodman, of Vivian Girls fame, graced the stage of Madame Jojo’s in Soho, for the weekly White Heat club night that regularly hosts good bands. They had Tennis there a little while back, which, annoyingly, I missed. Entering the place, you descend a flight of stairs into what seems like an oriental boudoir. This decor is so striking that I almost missed Kickball Katy herself at the merch table. I’ll admit, I was star-struck at this moment and barely managed to ask how much the tees were.

After having a drink (£2 for vodka and coke!) and settling down, the music began. With two support bands I had not heard of, I wasn’t particularly expecting much. Yet, I was very pleasantly surprised. On first were Tigercats, a five-piece that on the venue’s small stage looked as cramped as if there was double that number. Their nerdy, stage awkwardness complimented the jaunty, indie pop that they played. Their set compromised a sound that only ever produced warm, fuzzy feelings, except of course when they start shouting the following; “Fuck you for killing my animal friends and fuck you for eating them.” Thats from the song “Nudes With Dogs”, an incredibly compelling chant when you hear it live. It’s part of their Easter Island EP available here, check them out.

Listen to “Konny Huq”
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Welsh four-piece Race Horses were the second support band of the night, a group of people so visually different to many others present that their gracing of the stage was an instant delight. Their frontman looked like a cross between Jarvis Cocker and Ezra Koenig, with a bowl-cut. Their psychedelic pulp has a distinct Britishness about it, as well as some songs being incredibly reminiscent of Pulp. Some songs also had a circus-like vibe to them, a limitless happiness, similar to “Helter Skelter”, Iggy Pop or in fact most punk rock. Race Horses were a jovial band, a good sense of fun that really prepped the crowd for the following La Sera performance. Find out more about them here.

When Goodman & Co took to the stage at last, they produced such an effortless charm that the audience were captivated from the start. It’s especially true of the frontwoman, whose good looks and sweet voice worked especially well to make everyone around fawn her. The gig itself was a more raucous event than songs like “Never Come Around” would lead you to believe. High octane and full of energy, the set barely stopped, save for the occasional, endearing merch advertisement from Goodman. It was the kind of lo-fi, haziness you’d expect from a member of the Vivian Girls and even with a set list of songs I was almost entirely unfamiliar with, I still enjoyed every single song. Tagged on the Facebook page as “Morbid dream-pop”, it’s a just clarification, when you watch a video like this, yet it also makes sense when you hear the music. Goodman pulls off this sweet, innocent vibe so well, that juxtaposed against the rest of the music, it kind of becomes creepy. Endearingly creepy, but creepy none the less.

The band played a few new songs, one of which was, according to Goodman, written a mere four day ago and another which seemed to be acting as a conduit for Pavement. It was her stage presence though, that was probably most affixing. It’s all the head-swinging, hair-swaying dancing, that was so enigmatic, that meant I, like I imagine many others, could not take my eyes off her. There was one downside to the whole gig and that was throughout, her mike was obviously not loud enough. At times it was fine, but on some of the more energetic, louder parts, Goodman was inaudible. It dampened the gig a little, when the sound had been so good for the two support acts. It was a minor fault for an almost impeccable night, one that has made me adore both Madame Jojo’s (the White Heat night especially) and La Sera. After picking up an early copy from Katy Goodman herself at the merch table, I definitely recommend that you check out the self-titled album when it’s released on the 14th of Feb.

La Sera embark on a European Tour, with two more UK dates, on the 19th of Feb at Start The Bus in Bristol and on the 20th with a return to London for a show at The Lexington. More details, including their subsequent American tour with Tennis (and for some dates, Dum Dum Girls, no fair!) can be found here.

Listen to “Never Come Around”
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