So yesterday, I finally..FINALLY saw Say Lou Lou. When I saw they were playing London the day after my birthday, I knew I had to see them. I didn’t care that getting home would be a pain in various areas. I just HAD to see them. They immediately became an important band to me from when I first heard Maybe You ages ago, when they were known as Saint Lou Lou. I played Maybe You to death. I was (and still am) obsessed with. I love their single with Goodnight Keaton (Sweetness Alive.) Fool Of Me (with Chet Faker) is the perfect tale of when love takes a turn for the worst. Their sound is dramatic yet soothing. Can a band who don’t even have a full length record out yet convey all these feelings live? Basically, yes. YES.

Just before Say Lou Lou took to the stage a young chap just behind me kept yelling his love for the band and how excited he was. I firmly understood his love and excitement, but I’m not someone who likes to shout my feelings out to a bunch of strangers in a basement bar. Of course he did this numerous times when Say Lou Lou were on stage, and of course you did have someone yell back “Shut up, you’re embarrassing yourself.” Hey East Londoners, lighten the hell up! This person was having a good time and he was really happy to be there. You stand with your stone faced expressions and folded arms just wishing you could allow yourself to feel a fragment of joy. Maybe his yelling annoyed the band, but he was having a nice time. They felt the love, we all did.

Say Lou Lou played some new songs, and I think one of them was called Sky Lights..or Lines. I could be wrong. Regardless of what the song is called, it is bloody brilliant. Their sounds echo beautifully in this gorgeous venue; it was made for bands like Say Lou Lou. Better In The Dark sounds like a cult anthem for misfits who have their own vision of what love and lust is. Beloved breaks my heart instantly. The song is so painfully true, and one point in your life you will have related to the song. A release seems to ripple through the crowd from the band as they sing this song. Beloved is dark but has an essence of purity to it which is what makes Say Lou Lou so brilliant. They aren’t afraid to show a vulnerable side to love and such things. Beloved contains a line that is probably one of the most honest lyrics I’ve heard in a long long time, “Love is a facade for hate.” Goes right through you.

As they sing Julian any piece of you that is dented has been mended. You want to be the Julian that they are singing about. You feel as if you’ve been saved, briefly. Carry that feeling home with you. The drums on Julian are magnificent. The drums feel like your heartbeat becoming more steady and secure; Julian after seeing it live, somehow managed to mean more to me. Of course they play their cover of Tame Impala’s Feels Like We Only Go Backwards which is undeniably ethereal and wholeheartedly perfect. You feel that, whenever you feel hopeless, their version of this song will make you feel less of a coward for feeling so low. But surely you’re not a coward if you can admit to feeling low? I have no idea.

Fool Of Me sounded haunting and sinister. You could feel a wealth of hurt pour out of Elektra and Miranda. Elektra sang Chet Faker’s part, and this added the eerie tone to the song. Again, the drums on this add such a dramatic feel to the song. They emphasise the demanding nature song, how dare one person make another feel like that. We’ve all done it and we’ve all had it done to us.

Elektra and Miranda don’t speak too much to the crowd, but their smiles let it be known that they are in awe of what they’ve accomplished and how much they mean to their fans. The honesty in their music is what the fans really connect with. The dark atmosphere and honest lyrics just makes them stand out above the rest. They aren’t afraid to be so open with their feelings and to create such beautiful yet sometimes sad songs. The sad songs are the ones that our heart remembers. To heal, to hold and to treasure.

Say Lou Lou end their set, of course, with Maybe You. I can’t really put into eloquent and coherent words as to what this song means to me. Just know, it means a hell of a lot. And to finally see it live felt good. When you get to witness the song that introduced you to a band that is important to you, it just evokes a lot of emotion that words simply aren’t enough for.

After seeing them live, I really really cannot wait for their debut record. I was in awe of how brilliant they are live. I knew they’d be bloody good anyway, and maybe it is the fact they are twins and do have a deeper connection than most. Whatever it is, it was just an honour to watch and to be part of something that will be remembered for a long time (I’ve got a shit memory, but I’ll remember this night for sure.) Their sad songs soothe the soul and mend you. To have this kind if presence without even having a full length record out is evidently a sign that Say Lou Lou are going to just blow us all away when the record arrives.

Live or on record, Say Lou Lou have a presence that cannot be compared to. They are enigmatic and hypnotic to watch. Their music swirls around your heart giving you room to feel something you have never felt before.