The opening act, Camilla, is charming if not polished. Her guitar playing is simple, but her melodies are sweet and her lyrics heartfelt. Of the three acts, her style is best suited to the venue.
Sydney’s The Dawn Collective take the stage with confidence, and within minutes it’s obvious that they’re not bluffing. Their dark, stylish alternative-pop is a little too loud for the Roxbury- even playing a “stripped back” set- but it’s engaging and fun. The strength of their live show, combined with their impressive musicality, makes The Dawn Collective a band to watch.
Lamplight make the mistake of starting their set slow with some quiet numbers. Their particular brand of lyrical pop not-quite-noise is interesting once the band gets warmed up, but the time it takes to get there- plus the absence of their violinist- marks the difference between a good and a great show.
Once they hit their stride, Lamplight are fascinating live. The harmonies are beautifully smooth, the instrumentation competent and varied and the strange, almost disjointed lyrics are structured more like sound poems than pop songs. Even the obvious single Ship In a Bottle, from their new self-titled album, is dark and poetic compared to most “hit songs”.
The show is just the first Friday night show at the Roxbury for July, and promises great things to come.
