Sondre Lerche's Two-way Rock-a-logue at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen

Sondre Lerche 

By Danielle Langman
UC Santa Cruz

October 6, 2011 

As a lover of music and a loyal concert attendee, I can never pass up an opportunity to hear live music. Whether it be in an intimate setting, such as a garage, café, or a sold out, multi-level arena, I always enjoy soaking in the sweet sounds of musicians strumming their hearts out on guitars or singing until their voices are raw from over-use. On this particular evening, I had the pleasure of seeing Sondre Lerche play at the Hoxton Bar & Kitchen to a sold out audience. For fear of not getting a ticket, I practically ran to the bar and begged them to let me in. Much to my surprise and delight, they added me to the guest list; I paid my £10, wandered into a dark black room with blue lights glowing from the stage and assumed my usual concert position: as close to the stage as possible. Sondre Lerche, whom I have been a fan of for several years, is a charming, talented singer-songwriter from Bergen, Norway, whose smooth vocal delivery and precise guitar work always leaves me swooning and anxious for more. He’s a little bit jazzy, a little bit rock and roll, with a dash of emotion topped off with a whole lot of spunk and enthusiasm. This evening marked one of the last legs of his European tour, in support of his new self-titled album, and I felt very lucky to have caught him playing in London in such a tiny venue.

Having attended many concerts in my 21 years of life, I’ve seen quite a few musicians who sound incredible on their recorded albums but fall completely flat when performing their songs for live audiences. To me, stage presence, enthusiasm, and creative ability are the key components to delivering a great performance. I can’t stand performers who simply walk on stage, pick up a guitar, unenthusiastically play their songs as if they are robots, and fail to interact with their audience whatsoever. It is precisely this intimate connection between audience and performer that most people, including me, crave when they go to see their favorite musicians perform. Thankfully, Sondre Lerche’s performance this evening went above and beyond my expectations, leaving me completely blown away by the end of the evening.

No Robots Allowed!

            The clock struck 8:30pm and the opening band played their set, which left me contentedly tapping and nodding along. Still, I could not help but wish the set would end so that I could finally see Sondre Lerche work his magic on stage. Sure enough, about half an hour later, it was time for Sondre to play. At this point, everyone in the crowd had lurched closer to the stage, leaving just an inch of breathing (dancing) room between one another. Sondre casually walked on with his guitar, accompanied by three other musicians: a drummer, bassist, and keyboardist. Clearly, we were all ready to sing, dance, and shout to our heart’s content. However, none of us were prepared for the overwhelming level of energy that would soon fill the entire room. Expecting a mellow evening filled with soothing, heartfelt songs, I was pleasantly surprised to see Sondre transition from gently strumming his guitar to completely rocking out in a matter of seconds. Hair flipping, leg kicking, and sweat dripping included. From this point on, my eyes seldom left the stage and I could not keep myself from smiling when he would stop mid-song to tune his guitar and charm the audience with his witty banter. With each new song, I became more and more entranced by his presence; having listened to his music for several years, every emotion I felt upon first listen came rushing back to me with every chord. He has an undeniably wonderful stage presence and contagious energy, best exemplified by his passionate guitar playing and frequent requests that we, the audience, join him in singing the chorus of “Two Way Monologue” and participating in the dialogue of “Modern Nature”. 

Sondre doing what he does best: rock out!

         Although I was impressed by every minute of his nearly 2 ½ hour set, my favorite moment occurred during the encore: after all of the rocking and rolling that occurred in the previous set, Sondre came back out on stage, trading his electric guitar for an acoustic, and delivered a sweet rendition of “My Hands Are Shaking”. No longer dependent on the electric pickups to amplify his voice and guitar, Sondre relied solely on his lung capacity to ensure that his voice reached every ear in the audience. Even without the pickups, Sondre’s voice soared over the audience and bounced to the very back wall of the room, leaving all of us in awe of his sheer talent and passion for musical performance. All in all, my experience seeing Sondre Lerche perform in what could have easily been his living room, confirmed my love for live music and appreciation for artists with great stage presence. Highly recommended for those music lovers who want to sing, dance, and engage with the music rather than simply observe it from a distance. I loved the show so much that I’d almost forgotten about the flying drumstick that nearly poked my eye out. All in the name of live music, I suppose. 

Watch out for flying drumsticks, they'll get you when you least expect it!