Music
Review
Cigarettes After Sex mesmerise at London’s Roundhouse
They are coming back to the UK in May 2018.
Formed in El Paso, Texas, but now calling Brookyln their home, Cigarettes After Sex fuse together all emotions associated with their name. It’s in equal parts sultry and beautiful, an artistic black and white backdrop cycling through mesmerising imagery accompanying the ethereal songs. The tracks tell tales of love and lust, but above all else are musically breathtaking.
The whole venue is wrapped up in the band’s atmosphere, the show switching to greyscale in both the images and the lighting. It’s simply perfect, seemingly pausing time for an entirely engrossed audience. Few shows are this all-encompassing, no mean feat with such a minimalist set up.
Cigarettes After Sex are clearly about the music. The backdrop is far from extravagant, instead effortlessly enhancing the songs. They pull almost every track from their stunning debut self-titled record, broken up by an almost unrecognisable version of REO Speedwagon’s Keep On Loving You. Each track swirls around the venue with silky smooth intent. They pull the beauty out of their sound with ease.
By the time set closer Apocalypse fills the room, Cigarettes After Sex have turned any of the audiences’ angst and anxiety into sheer elegance. There’s an undisputed charm in their perfectly refined sound, one that captivates a notable diverse audience. It’s a unique take on ambient pop, and one that will be turning heads both on record and in a live environment for a long time to come.
Catch Cigarettes After Sex for yourselves when they play the O2 Academy Brixton on the 24 May 2018. Tickets are available now through Ticketmaster.co.uk.