Dingwalls, London [June 7, 2011]
Living in Los Angeles clearly has its perks but coming home to England always gives Carina Round plenty to smile about, as she proved on her latest, all-too-fleeting visit. With just two shows booked – this one, and the following day in Birmingham – Carina fans from all across Europe travelled to help her celebrate the tenth birthday of her underrated debut album The First Blood Mystery, soon to be reissued on vinyl with bonus tracks and new artwork.
Opening with the unreleased ‘You & Me’, dedicated to her European fans with its chorus of “I miss you, I miss you I do-do-do”, Carina hurtled through a intense thirteen-song set that revisited four of the debut’s seven songs – including a solo, blood-curdling version of ‘Let It Fall’ – three from 2003′s The Disconnection, two from 2006′s Slow Motion Addict, one from her 2009 EP, Things You Should Know, and another four from her forthcoming album.
The songs from the debut have stood the test of time exceptionally well, their vivid lyrics all the more cutting for Carina’s more aggressive guitar work and the stellar back up from guitarist Tom Livemore, original drummer Marcus Galley, singers Laura Kidd (aka She Makes War) and Lesley Spiers, and a new bassist whose name escaped us. Performing at the height of her potency, Carina showed without doubt that, despite her almost non-existent presence on the UK scene these days, she can rival any of her peers when it comes to commanding a room.
You & Me / Motel ’74 / Girl & The Ghost / How I See It / Pick Up The Phone / Paris / Backseat (solo) / Let It Fall (solo) / Lightbulb Song / Come To You (with Gary Go) / Last Time / Mother’s Pride / Into My Blood / On Leaving
Photos by Steve Asenjo.
