Say Lou Lou at XOYO

There are many connections one can draw to Say Lou Lou; their pained yet tender vocals recall Russian duo t.A.T.u, their two-tone brunette/blonde pairing is decidedly Abba-esque, while their bright yet harrowing electronic style evokes electro-pop duo Cults.

Entering a blacked out stage under a pair of ghostly blue lights, Say Lou Lou appear magically from the gloom. Tall girls with an elfin beauty, they are ethereally waif-like, with a retro vibe that buzzes hazily about them as they float about the stage in flowing tunics and glistening jump suits.

Say Lou Lou are 21-year-old Miranda and Elektra Kilbey, Swedish-Australian twin sisters who achieved musical acclaim with the release of their debut single Maybe You in 2012, going on to create their own record label, á Deux in 2013. Lauded by critics, they recently received a coveted place on the BBC Sound of the Year 2014 hotlist as well as being named Vogue magazine’s artist of the week.  

The sisters begin with Everything We Touch – a serene, dreamy anthem that bursts into a kaleidoscopic chorus of thumping synth, circling bass and buoyant drums. Their latest single, Better In the Dark, is a beautiful track of aching sustains and soaring, airy notes, skilfully capturing the childlike native of their odd yet alluring accents, which meld their Scandinavian and Australian dialects into a transcendentally textured soundscape. Crowd-pleaser Julian echoes with forlorn beauty, gently cascading from soft verses into bristling guitar licks. 

“A lot of our teenage angst is coming into this album,” says Elektra, and there is indeed a profound melancholy found in their songs. The sisters often talk about the sense of dislocation they feel travelling from Sweden to Australia, not knowing quite where they belong; this anxiety surfaces in Beloved, a song of ghostly echoes, harrowing lyrics and painful minor notes.

“This is the first show we’ve ever sold-out. This is a milestone for us!” cries Elektra, throwing out a “little gift” of stickers and vinyls to the mesmerised crowd. With their haunting sounds and anthemic beats that linger long after they disappear from the stage, this is certainly only one of many sold-out concerts to come.

Alexandra Sims

For further information and future events visit Say Lou Lou’s website here.

Watch the video for Better In the Dark here: