No doubt many listeners may have been quick to label The Lemon Twigs as just another act surfing the wake of the resurgent hipster sensibility for 60s and 70s music. However, even the toughest of cynics left the Brudenell Social Club last Thursday either in a fit of satisfaction, or desperately licking their wounds.  

Mutating melodies beautifully harmonised by keyboard player Danny Ayala met with the flurry of high kicks and an almost carnivalesque sense of showmanship to create an all-round spectacle that captivated a sold out crowd. There is little doubt over the musicianship of the four members, with the brothers D’Addario sharing guitar, lead vocals, and drums equally and not at the cost of overall chemistry. Even as younger brother, Michael, surrendered to having entirely lost his voice, the band did not suffer and in fact his strained wails coupled with the resulting exchanges of wits between band members provided a comic focal point for a night of musical frenzy and frivolity.

The band’s music refracts the curious ambience of the Beach Boys and the verve of Big Star through strong theatrical overtones no doubt honed through older brother Brian’s past involvement in musicals. At just 17 and 19 years old and already boasting numerous endorsements from legends of the past such as the Zombies, the D’Addario brothers now surely carry the torch for the possible emergence of a new generation of equally bizarre and adventurous musicians.

Adam Foster

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