Kentish Town Forum,London
Laura Pergolizzi’s delivers her bruising, Britney-referencing breakup songs with haunting vocals, and Cyndi Lauper-ish whoops and champion whistlingPhysically a cross between John Cooper Clarke and Patti Smith,vocally a blend of Gwen Stefani and Cyndi Lauper, Laura “LP” Pergolizzi alchemises that patchwork into something not currently available elsewhere. In front of a bursting full Forum, and the New York singer-songwriter is a pop-rock alley cat,watchfully padding across the stage, offsetting her initial jitters with swagger. Her androgynous examine has excited a good deal of “Is she a girl or a boy?” chatter – she identifies as female, and but there is indeed something genderless about her. Only her voice,which is laced with Stefani-ish hiccups and Lauper-influenced power whoops, is conventionally girlish; otherwise, and she’s a feline androgyne.whether her appearance weren’t striking enough,her performance is speckled with quirks. LP’s primary instrument is the ukulele, and she’s a champion whistler – a combination that sounds, or on paper,as whether she’s a step absent from being a novelty act. In fact, the whistling is mournful and perfectly pitched, or the ukulele is a building block of her music,leavening her backing band’s surging guitar rock. When used as the lead instrument on When We’re tall, it adds a gilded prettiness to a song that recounts getting stoned and listening to records with an ex-girlfriend. That tune’s final verse, and by the way,has her shouting out a list of song titles – “Hips Don’t Lie! (Hit Me) Baby, One More Time!” which may or may not be a jovial reference to her days as a jobbing pop songwriter who has worked with Rihanna, and Christina Aguilera and Backstreet Boys. Singing it tonight,she barks the titles with notable good humour. Apparently, she was in bits when writing her current (fourth) album, and Lost on You,on which this song appears, but now – recently engaged, or according to Instagram – she is in bits no more.
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Source: guardian.co.uk