La Roux, Sheffield Fuzz Club

Since being featured by the BBC as a part of their ‘Sound of 2009’ list, there’s been a lot of buzz following South London synth-pop duo La Roux, so when they hit Sheffield’s long running Fuzz Club there was quiet a crowd.

Tonight they play as a three piece with front-lady Elly Jackson and keyboardist / laptop fiddler Ben Langmaid being supplemented by a second keyboard player. Despite this, the performance comes across very much like that of a solo act, with Jackson and her improbable hair taking the limelight, quiet literally. The other two are in the shadows at the back of the stage. This doesn’t detract from the performance however; as it’s quiet clear that it is the red haired one (the literal translation of La Roux) that is meant to be the star.

Her voice is in fine form for tonight’s show, and although she’s not amazingly active on stage, she manages to maintain a decent presence and chats comfortably with the crowd. Next single ‘In For The Kill’ is played early on in the set and showcases well La Roux’s very eighties brand of electro pop. Watching their varied set is like seeing an eighties special of TOTP2. It’s kept short yet in the half an hour they were on stage they do well to present themselves as a decent pop outfit. The songs maintain individual character (including the compulsory electro-pop ballad) whilst being held together by Jackson’s voice.

‘Quicksand’ is played as the penultimate song, to which the crowd respond well. This prompts Jackson to declare that it would be much better if the audience knew all of her songs. This is true, and what was lacking in atmosphere for much of the set can be explained by the lack of familiarity with the material. Once these guys have more releases under their belts then their live shows will be undoubtedly more enjoyable.