05 October 2026 (gig)
23 h
This is a band I have been looking forward to checking out. The Lemon Twigs are brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario, who have been releasing albums — six in all — since 2016. Their latest, this year’s Look For Your Mind!, is a most welcome addition to the duo’s ’60s-style jangly pop, with obvious nods to The Monkees and The Beach Boys, The Beatles, obviously, while Graham Nash and The Hollies are another big influence, I would suggest.
They have generally produced and played virtually all their material themselves, usually working with analogue recording techniques and ’60s instrumentation that give them their signature sound. On the latest album, they have brought in members of their live band — bassist Danny Ayala, drummer Reza Matin and, on two tracks, Eva Chambers — to play in the studio. This gives the songs on the LP perhaps a less formal, and a looser, edge than some of their previous, more elaborate arrangements though this is a bit hit and miss.
Over the last 10 years, they have gained praise and recognition from bands and critics alike, building a small but significant audience around the world. They recently wrapped up a pretty successful run around the UK and are now touring Europe before returning to the US for dates later in the year. There are three gigs lined up in Italy: Bologna, Rome and tonight’s show at Santeria Toscana 31 in Milan. It’s a cool venue to see a band, standing-room-only, with a capacity of around 450/500.
Brian is just 29, with Michael two years his junior. They have already made major strides, creating an impressive body of work, and the world is still their oyster. With their shaggy haircuts and ’60s clothes, they certainly have the look, and it’s great to see a four-piece band with nothing but guitars, drums, microphones and amps cluttering the stage.
Well, the short story is, they were brilliant. The long story is that it surprised me rather. Their albums are musically and harmonically rich, but the production sheen can seem twee on occasion, and at times it can sound a little safe. Live, the chicken comes home to roost.
Their voices are fuller: Michael with that Lennon-like rasp, Brian with that Brian Wilson-type elegance, purity in the sustain, clarity in the range and depth. Then together, well, you just don’t hear that level of harmonic detail and care in bands anymore. They have done the 10,000 hours, for sure, but there is much more to it than that. The “brothers” element is everything.
It’s a great setlist, too, with tracks played mainly from the last three studio albums. Opening with “My Golden Years” and “I’ve Got a Broken Heart”, the band are determined to get the crowd swaying and bopping, with the brothers scissor-kicking at every opportunity.
“2 or 3” from the new album is very well received, but a magical bit of the concert comes when the brothers swap instruments with the rest of the band: Michael goes on drums, Brian takes bass, Danny moves to the keyboards hidden away at the side, and Reza picks up the guitar. They play “Any Time of the Day”, a single from 2023 that is a beautiful slice of ’70s Chicago-style pop. “They Don’t Know How to Fall in Place”, an ode to The Beach Boys, is expertly performed, followed by the truly wonderful “A Dream Is All We Know”, with its Wings overtones and beautiful vocal harmonising that only Paul could orchestrate. Well, this comes very close.
Maybe my favourite 10 minutes in a concert hall this year.
Michael then goes back to his guitar and a few more numbers from the new album are played, sounding more alive and punchy than they do on disc. New single “I Just Can’t Get Over Losing You” — an ode to The Oneders, if you get the reference, well done — and the Lennon-esque “Look For Your Mind” are really well received by the mainly young crowd, while the best track on the album for me, “Nothin’ But You”, is superb.
They knock out “Bring You Down” and that’s the end of the set.
Brian then comes back with acoustic guitar and plays “Joy” from the new album, followed by “Corner of My Eye” from Everything Harmony, which is the second high point of the night. Exquisitely played and sung, the crowd gently accompanying Brian; it was special.
The band are back on for the final couple of songs and then the lights go on in the hall. About 400 people, so close to capacity for Santeria. Lots of young adults and musos in attendance suggest a rosy future for the band, who continue around Europe through October before further dates later in the year in South America and then US.
I hope they can become mainstream; pop needs bands who have talent, know the past but look to the future. The Lemon Twigs fit the bill perfectly.
