With bygone style, long shiny hair and a sound straight out of 60s America, The Lemon Twigs are a vintage fever dream when seen live. Running on straight hits and hair cream alone, brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario easily proved to be a well-oiled machine at Glasgow’s St Luke’s, sauntering on stage with an unassuming “Hi guys,” before getting ripped right into the lead single off their latest LP, My Golden Years.
Jangle pop at its finest thanks to its swingingly bright sound, My Golden Years set the tone perfectly for the magical evening of timeless tunes that was to come. Continuously honouring the musical sentiments of the 1960s, through Beach Boys and Beatle-esque arrangements, it was a night full of dreamy harmonies, jubilant melodies and awe-inspiring talent. The Lemon Twigs are one of those rare bands that energises you rather than knackers you.
Racing through hits like In My Head, What You Were Doing and Any Time of Day as lights bathed the stage in warm golds and vibrant pinks and blues. It felt the Twigs could do no wrong, even if there were a few minor technical difficulties that the pair shouldered with ease.
But it was the brotherly back and forth that was particularly memorable throughout the Twigs set, which introduced some surprisingly comedic moments, allowing the contrasting personalities of the pair to shine through. Brian dedicated Foolin’ Around to “my brother, Mike,” amusingly stating “This one goes out to you man,” while Mike said “fuck” a lot before They Don’t Know How to Fall in Place and I have no idea why: “Here’s one that you might find in the bubble-gum, fuckin’ diner, fuckin’ record store, fuckin’…”
At this point the Twigs had well and truly hit their stride adding a cover of The Keys’ I Don’t Wanna Cry before comfortably moving into show highlight Ghost Run Free, which Mike declared as “a college rock song” despite Brian’s disagreement: “You don’t get to say what it is cause you’re too inside it.” Brimming with energy, jangly guitars and straight fun, it was impossible not to beam at the brothers amongst the fellow head boppers as the pair continuously reaffirmed why they’re one of the best bands about.
Yet, their setlist also included some gorgeous acoustic moments from Brian D’Addario that were equally as mesmerising as the rest of their swingingly vintage performance. Playing Corner of My Eye and When Winter Comes Around solo on stage, this was the first time the deep tones of the crowd’s voice could be heard in full, making it feel like one of those beautiful moments that each audience member will never forget. The faultless acoustic performance added a truly stunning moment of breath to the Twigs otherwise lively set and was certainly worthy of every cheer it got.
With plenty of personality, instrument swapping and stellar hits honouring their (and our) musical heroes, The Lemon Twigs are a refreshing example of timeless songwriters who are clearly just having fun. They’re talented, effusive and ever impressive with their ardent originality, and so should be seen live at every opportunity.
By Olivia Ross
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