LET’S EAT GRANDMA | LIVE REVIEW
Undertone, Cardiff, Thurs 12 Apr
Let’s Eat Grandma have done some growing up since their debut I, Gemini. Written mostly when the teenage duo were just starting to write songs together, it was an intriguing if not fully realised debut from a promising new act. They quickly got attention and glowing writeups for their quirks, such as playground style synchronised handclaps and bursts of saxophone, and in the time since they’ve been working on a much anticipated followup.
Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth seem a little shy as they set up, with the audience standing eye level just a couple of feet away. They open with new single Hot Pink, which quickly gets things going. Along with the other new single Falling Into Me, it becomes clear just what a step up the new material is. A host of other new songs also show a band starting to really find their voice; the new material easily beats anything on the debut, with the only track from that effort aired tonight being the hypnotic, dreamy Deep Six Textbook.
With its cramped underground space, abundance of crowd chatter and lack of a stage, Undertone is not a venue that suits Let’s Eat Grandma. This is particularly apparent during some of the duo’s antics, which include lying down on stage and essentially just makes them disappear to most of the crowd mid-song for no apparent reason. Girls around the duo’s age struggle to get much of a view, while some obnoxious guys near the front dance sarcastically and talk way too much. The duo make the best of a bad situation though, ending on a long, catchy track with one of them dancing out into the audience inviting people to clap along. They say a quick thank you, and leave without an encore: it’s clear the audience wanted one.
The audience may have been expecting the likes of Eat Shiitake Mushrooms, but the track’s early experimentation and ill-advised rap are left in the past. Once the new album is out and this material becomes familiar, they’ll have a much easier time relying on it. With any luck, this gig was a growing pain and the future will provide better venues and better gigs for Let’s Eat Grandma.
words MATT LEE photos ANTHONY CONWAY