We Were Evergreen at Scala

Is twee the new hip? Apparently so. Parisian electro-indie-pop band We Were Evergreen opened their sold-out gig at Scala in Kings Cross with a mix of fresh pop and indie, all with smiles on their faces – like kids in an amusement park. Fun is key to the band and their music, which is mainly played on toy piano, xylophone, ukulele, banjo, kazoo, glockenspiel and drums – and the package is set to be big in London this summer.

The group played a remarkable show, engaging the audience for about an hour with a perfectly tight set. The right word for the band onstage is twee – but it’s not to their detriment. Thanks to Charlie Andrews (the producing mind behind Metromomy and Alt-J) the sound itself is less cheesy than you might think. We Were Evergreen recalls Alt-J in many ways (silences, stop-start, stratified vocals, counter voices and so on), and echoes a French version of Architecture in Helsinki, but the effect is new and remarkable, especially during Daughters, False Start, and Tambourine Like a Clown. The live dimension gives the band a chance to explore a more unusual spectrum of music, with reggae-dub influences on Best Things, and the quasi-dubstep of Golden Fire.

This said, there are still a few doubts about this band. Yes they are cute, and yes they are up-and-coming, but will the hype last? It is certainly surprising to see Scala completely sold-out for a band with only one full-length record released so far. We don’t know, but the intrigue remains, and we wish the band the best.

Lorenzo Cibrario
Photos: Erol Birsen

For further information and future events visit We Were Evergreen’s website here.

Watch the video for Daughters here: