It’s time to set the record straight: First Aid Kit are one of the best live pop rock acts on the planet, and they have been for years now.
This fact has largely been disregarded because of branding; the idea that First Aid Kit are neither pop nor rock, that they somehow fit within a whole range of other, often more niche or hybridised genres – indie-folk, alt-country, or that great vacuum term “Americana” – exclusive of what is at the core of their songwriting, recording and performance, is just weak marketing. The truth is they belong in the mainstream and they should be playing arenas by now. To whoever is keeping hush on this: Bless you!!
They must be one of the best kept secrets of the internet age – ironic, given their YouTube origin story – otherwise we would likely see Taylor-Swift-scale ticketing issues making headlines, but it’s unsurprising to anyone in attendance that First Aid Kit’s Palomino UK tour sold out in rapid time, even with double Glasgow and London shows being added to appease demand. What is particularly interesting about the opening night in Glasgow is the audience demographic; it skews heavily to the 50-plus crowd but, most promisingly, there are children. They’re first timers. They’ve never been dazzled by a support act or sung along with more than 2000 strangers; they haven’t experienced the arm-ache of sustained applause while demanding an encore, and they’ve never felt the rush of a spontaneous standing ovation. They have no idea they’re about to see one of the best live pop rock acts on the planet. Bless them!!
The aforementioned dazzling support act for this tour is Lola Kirke. A woman of many talents, whose credits include notable acting roles opposite the likes of Zoe Kravitz and Greta Gerwig, Kirke released her latest LP, Lady For Sale, on Third Man Records earlier this year. Accompanied by Ellen Angelico on electric guitar and steel, and Alex Wong on drums and programming, her live sound is on the fringe of Americana. Essentially it’s country music set against indiscreet synths. The title track is reminiscent of early Roseanne Cash, while Better Than Any Drug mixes the quirky vocal theatrics of Nicole Atkins with the tongue-in-cheek humour of Margo Price, packaged as a tribute to Madonna’s debut album, with pedal steel. Kirke is confident and charming and her unhurried stage presence endears many. The feeling is mutual as she declares, “Glasgow, I think I’m in love!” She delivers a short but very sweet set before inviting everyone to come and say hello at the merch table.
It would be nice to pop over for a meet and greet but the room is rammed. 30 minutes passes in a flash and suddenly the lights go down to the sound of exhilarated screams. Three auxiliary bandmates assume their positions behind drums, keyboards and guitar before sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg emerge with their respective bass and acoustic guitars in hand. Opening their set with the Petty-esque Palomino is an unassuming power play; Klara’s plaintive, crystalline voice leads the melody alone for most of this one and its sharpness is revealed without Johanna’s softer tone always enveloping it. This makes their divergent harmonies sound all the richer when they sing together on the choruses. The simplicity of the instrumentation and arrangement takes as much from The Corrs as it does from The Heartbreakers but either way it’s an instant classic. Angel is a new song that bridges the leap from 2018’s Ruins, at least sonically, while running an assured lyric about self-love, compassion and bravery.
As if to prove the point they follow this up with It’s A Shame, equally upbeat but with a doubtful inner monologue. Both band and audience are now settling into each other so it’s time for Klara to crack open her giant bottle of diet Irn Bru and reminisce about the great times they’ve had in Scotland over the years. “Swedes and Scots, we just go together so well” she announces, before introducing 2014’s Stay Gold “about moments like these”. The sweet thrill of a night like tonight, especially after the last couple of years, isn’t being taken for granted by anyone and the crowd sing along blissfully.
Rebel Heart emerges through a pulsing red light with flashes of brilliant white. The intensity builds over the first verse and as the full band kicks in a curtain drops behind the stage to reveal an enormous shimmering leadlight design. It adds a layer of atmosphere as the changing colours and textures amble along with the music. There’s a considerable amount of choreographed hair flicking during the extended instrumental sections, particularly in The Lion’s Roar. The animal theme continues as the jungle drums of Wolf elicit howls across the room. It’s clear that many of these fans have been following the band for a long time and still relish hearing the older songs.
After several raucous minutes the band reign the energy back a little with their latest musical ode to Gram Parsons, Wild Horses II. The blatant indifference of the song’s central characters couldn’t be further from the feeling in the room but their disagreement over whether The Rolling Stones or Flying Burrito Brothers deliver a better Wild Horses is a ripe debate to pick over at the end of the show. Bringing the whole thing down another level of intimacy, Klara and Johanna relieve the other players and step out on their own behind a single microphone to perform the oldest song in their set, Ghost Town. It is, in their own words, “a reminder of how we first started”, singing mostly a cappella and acoustically. The Academy has rarely heard anything so beautiful. It is immaculate! Perhaps not quite as beautiful, but no less spine-tingling, they reintroduce their bandmates one by one on accordion, mandolin and floor tom as they perform Hem Of Her Dress. The audience are invited to singalong at the end but, Glasgow being Glasgow, they sing word for word from the outset.
It’s the perfect warm up for the finale, leading dramatically into the dewy-eyed Emmylou, as a sea of phone screens light up across the room. The curse of modernity can take nothing away from such a timeless melody and deeply joyful sentiment though; friends and strangers sway shoulder to shoulder, raising their voices, unified in some spiritual rite. A Feeling That Never Came is denser live; thick bass grooves and heavy synth motifs flesh it out into something akin to Olivia Newton-John covering Hall & Oates. Or ABBA. That’s a good thing. For the encore, Johanna and Klara have exchanged their complementary pantsuits for a couple of sparkly numbers – and confetti cannons. Out Of My Head and Ready To Run are pure AM radio gold but it’s My Silver Lining that closes out their retro-retrospective, to a euphoric ovation. For a band that pays so much lyrical homage to the legends of country, their setlist flows like a jukebox from the last century on a Saturday night. Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, The Cars, Eagles, The Seekers and Linda Ronstadt all echo through these songs. Perhaps this is why older generations already love First Aid Kit. But judging by the reactions tonight, the kids are buying it too.
Words and pictures: Kendall Wilson @softcrowdclassic