Disclosure plays live at San Francisco’s Independent, brings UK garage to the US
Brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence began their first American tour as Disclosure a few weeks ago. At only 17 and 20-years old respectively, they have been making music together over the last few years, releasing singles and short compilations along the way. Disclosure‘s production roots are in an updated version of two-step UK garage and funky house but have more recently offered bouncy synthesized outputs wrapped with poppy undertones.
San Francisco’s Independent was one of the first stops on their tour and the brothers were greeted by a packed venue of fans desperate to hear their unique blend of pop and UK garage. Stepping out just after 11:30pm, Guy and Howard played face-to-face rather than towards the crowd. With a dizzying array of laptops, drum machines, and keyboards the two gave listeners almost an hour and half taste of their sweet synth-heavy British tunes.
The duo quietly opened with the bubbling vibes of “Control” before their jabbing bass beats and Rita Richie’s breathy vocals took over.
“Boiling” followed the opener, getting the crowd moving instantly. The track which features vocals from Sinead Harnett, quickly turned into sing-along as listeners bobbed their heads to the bouncing beat.
Switching between who managed the drum machine and the mixing, Guy and Howard Lawrence maintained an uptempo pace without losing the ’90s hip-hop mood throughout the night. “What’s In Your Head” was the next crowd-pleaser the duo dropped. The track, which was the first nod DA gave Disclosure, is driven by escalating synths and the hums of females vocals.
Playing out most their recent The Faces EP the duo continued to prove their production skills are well beyond their years. They saved their most memorable outputs for last, finishing the set with the rework of Jessie Ware’s “Running” before their ever-infectious “Latch.” The soulful vocals of Sam Smith closed the night leaving the words “I’m latching on to you” spinning in our heads.
Listen to Disclosure‘s live performance at Moogfest 2012 in Asheville NC, here.
Categories: Music