Peter Blair reviews Lost Film Foundation and the Flowing at Off The Cuff Bar, Herne Hill.
Movies backdrops are back! The increasingly bearded and achingly cool crowd at the Herne Hill end of Railton Road were treated to the return of Lost Film Foundation on Thursday night. The stylised surroundings of Off The Cuff bar, located in the former premises of Herne Hill Timber, are a brilliant mix of second-hand furniture store come late night entertainment venue.
Support band The Flowing opened with their new alt folk record ‘Talk About Wonder’ in track order. There is definitely something of a water theme going on here, and their combination of French horn, violin, acoustic guitar and voices make an ethereal, timeless noise, varying somewhere between alt folk, and even echoes of recent Leonard Cohen.
It was easy, at one point in their set, to become slightly too absorbed by the movie backdrop featuring Jenny Agutter in the Snow Goose, but that’s ethereal music for you. A folk band with a degree of promise, who will only improve with more gigging.
Lost Film Foundation is five-piece indie band, with knowing cinematic influences and penchant for loud quiet dynamics that work brilliantly in the intimacy of Off The Cuff’s front bar. It’s convenient to wait for the quiet bit before ordering at the bar.
Self-described as ‘visuals and some delightfully dirty noise’, and fronted by Matt (lead guitar), Jemima (vocals and drums) and Willow (keyboards), their songs changed the relaxed Off The Cuff vibe and kicked it into a higher gear from the outset.
Accomplished live performers, Lost Film Foundation, employ a two-drummer tactic at various points in the set to subtlety vary the mood and veer into a big noise. With a sound inspired from movie influences, including David Lynch, this is grunge rock with a cinematic, storytelling quality. Catch them in South London while you can before they go off to discover their artistic muse in Berlin on a more permanent basis.
