There are musicians who do more than give listeners eargasms. Musicians who open your eyes, too. Little Dragon are among them.
Last week, the Swedish band announced, via their verified twitter account, that they would finally be “playing in South Africa late summer”. Further probing revealed they were the next international headliners for the adidas Originals Live Performances Series brought to you by We-Are-Awesome Events. The first in the series saw Clap Your Hands Say Yeah share the stage with our own Spoek Mathambo.
It’s not yet clear which SA act will play on the same stage as Little Dragon when they hit Woodstock in Cape Town on August 31 and Maboneng Precinct on September 1.
The Gothenburg group comprises the ethereal-voiced Yukimi Nagano and her electro-soul architects, Fredrik Wallin, Håkan Wirenstrand and Erik Bodin. The four musicians have been friends since high school and this is evident in how much care and familiarity seeps through the speakers on any track from their self-titled debut, their magnum opus, Machine Dreams, or their brilliant last offering, Ritual Union, which was released last year.
Expect to hear Twice, After the Rain, Nightlight, Infinite Love and Little Man like you have never heard them before. And if we’re brave enough one of us will finally ask the Swedish-Japanese chanteuse who has us all enamoured to break down exactly what she says in some of the lyrics most of us miss. Perhaps, though, we might just find that the beauty is in our own interpretation of the stellar songs. Proving that word of mouth is still effective, Little Dragon gained much popularity through this method and have even been touted as “amazing” by the likes of collaborators The Gorillaz and Raphael Saadiq. See why for yourself.
• Catch Little Dragon at The Old Biscuit Mill, 375 Albert Road, Woodstock, Cape Town, on August 31 and MOAD, 281 Commissioner Street, Maboneng Precinct, Joburg, on September 1.