Freddie Dickson + Kaleida, Old Blue Last EC2
Date: 26 September 2014 at 18:00
Venue: 38 Great Eastern St, London EC2A 3ES
About this gig
West Londoner Freddie Dickson employs a mass of complementary contradictions to mesmerising effect on his debut EP Shut Us Down, which was released in May to universal acclaim.
It’s dreamily ethereal – see The End which twangs like Twin Peaks transported to suburban London – yet the hooks immediately exert a control over the subconscious. Programmed beats heighten the emotional intensity of his vocals which swell effortlessly from a sumptuous, soulful croon to a wounded howl.
Dickson’s poetic presence ensures that his tales of faded romance are ingrained with a voyeuristic intimacy, whether that comes from blunt honesty on title track Shut Us Down (“I would find a way to never have to give you up”) or lyrical turns of phrase (“We had a fine opportunity to breathe-walk, sleep-talk and live in perfect unity”). Throughout, Dickson’s masculine fragility lays itself bare for the listener’s ears.
Recently seen supporting New York pop duo MS MR on their recent UK tour alongside Charlie XCX