Ryan Adams, First Aid Kit

Decked in shiny, retro gear, yet playing harmoniously somber tunes it could only be First Aid Kit on the Roundhouse stage opening up for Ryan Adams. Breaking straight into ‘Stay Gold’ the two sisters got straight into the groove with some spectacular ‘hair dancing’ - heads bobbing ferociously up and down long hair cascading after.

‘King Of The World’ continued the excitement with ‘My Silver Lining’ to follow. The two Swedish sisters front of stage, the towering Johanna on keys and smaller Klara on acoustic guitar, it only left the drummer and pedal steel/mandolin player to complete the line-up.

A country sound tinged with indie and a little pop thrown in for good measure, its hard not to fall into the very bosom of First Aid Kit. Looking around there seems to be a contented thrum in the soft smiles of the head-bobbing public.
Their lovely harmonies are both strong and sweet, and there is a genuine freshness to the sound that has now seen them sell out the Royal Albert Hall.
An exemplary cover of Jack White’s ‘Love Interruption’ was warmly welcomed and before we knew it the soothing tones of ‘Emmylou’ heralded the end of a gorgeously delicate set. 4/5

Ryan Adams and his outfit silently took to the stage before breaking straight into ‘Something Good’. Ryan, clad in jeans, Batman t-shirt and jean jacket, said nothing while tuning his guitar at the end of the song. This unexpected reticence continued between ‘Fix It’, ‘Dirty Rain’ and ‘Stay With Me’ prompting an audience member to shout “awkward silence” which got a laugh and Ryan’s back up.
Clearly an off night for Ryan he finally opened up by revealing he had a sore throat. “I’m so hyped on cortisone I feel like the incredible hulk. I'd normally be so f**king funny with my perfect English wit, but if I talk ill f**k it up even more so...”
Perfectly uncharismatic he rattled threw ‘Everybody Knows’ and ‘I Just Might’ good renditions but delivered with no gusto, it was clear he did not want to be here tonight. Never far from controversy you get the feeling that it’s always got to be about Ryan, after jibes against Apple and iTunes, he even berated the audience. “I feel the admiration for the new stuff…” he said sarcastically “…all 18 of you. You'll love it in 2 years, and you'll say you were there. You cant even buy this next one on iTunes!” he scoffed before playing ‘The Door’.
Luckily for Ryan he’s got some pretty good songs but delivered in this manner he just sucks the enjoyment out of the night. He blew it with me and hopefully with iTunes too. Luckily First Aid Kit made the night a worthwhile one, their showmanship and connection with the audience still resonating, something Ryan Adams has yet to learn. 2/5


First Aid Kit setlist:

Stay Gold
Blue
King of the World
Shattered & Hollow
My Silver Lining
Wolf
Love Interruption (Jack White cover)
Heaven Knows
The Lion's Roar
Emmylou


Ryan Adams setlist:

Gimme Something Good
Fix It (Ryan Adams & The Cardinals cover)
Dirty Rain
Stay With Me
Let It Ride (Ryan Adams & The Cardinals cover)
Am I Safe
Everybody Knows
I Just Might
Oh My Sweet Carolina
Rats in the Wall
When The Summer Ends
The Door
My Wrecking Ball
Trouble
Shadows
Kim

Encore:
Easy Plateau (Ryan Adams & The Cardinals cover)
Come Pick Me Up