There’s still plenty of the rustic, new-age hippy charm in First Aid Kit’s appearance, but the one thing that’s noticeable as they launch into ‘Wolf’ from their 2012 album The Lion’s Roar is that there is a new swagger in place.The sisters from Stockholm, Johanna and Clara, feature a notable shift in presentation in the form of Johanna’s move to bass guitar from keyboard/synth. Furthermore, their music seem to now slither with a hitherto unexplored groove; bobbing up and down,Whilst they dig deep into their own catalogue – which includes a heart stopping rendition of ‘Ghost Town’ – they also take time to dig out an old 70s classic. ‘The Gambler’ is tackled with vim, vigour and it’s fair to say that it is one big winner with the festival crowd. Promisingly, new song ‘It’s A Shame’ is quickly greeted like an old favourite. Unlike ‘You Are The Problem Here’, this is in keeping with the tone and format in which devotees of First Aid Kit are familiar.
They close out with the double whammy of old favourites and trademark songs, ‘Emmylou’ and ‘My Silver Lining’. Their rise is unstoppable and they are doing it on their own terms. Wonderful.
First Aid Kit live at Glastonbury Festival 23rd June 2017.
Musicians: Scott Simpson, Melvin Duffy, Steve Moore.
Setlist:
1. Wolf
2. Master Pretender
3. Waitress Song
4. The Lion’s Roar
5. You Are the Problem Here
6. Ghost Town
7. King of the World
8. The Gambler (Kenny Rogers cover)
9. Stay Gold
10. Emmylou
11. My Silver Lining
