Review: Lolina at The Rechabite
Lolina at The Rechabite
w/ Great Statue, Rok Riley
Sunday, September 1, 2024
Who is Lolina? This is a question the magpie-esque artist has posed to audiences ever since going solo with the dissolution of her original musical act, the electronic duo Hype Williams. Coming out in the early 2010s, Inga Copeland (aka Lolina) and Dean Blunt cranked out dusty electronic grooves from the underground over three classic LPs and a clutch of singles and EPs. Sounding vaguely like Boards of Canada at times but profoundly weirder and more experimental, they generated a minor cult following.
After going their separate ways around 2014, Blunt has been the more prolific artist, with a dozen or so releases, including several critically acclaimed LPs. Copeland has taken a more circuitous route and released a few singles and mixes, such as the Live in Paris (2016) LP that provided an experimental and perplexing take on a unique contemporary electronic-experimental-pop aesthetic. The underrated The Smoke (2018) indicated a more focused vision and, one global pandemic later, a tour to support her latest and possibly best outing, Unrecognisable (2024).
Tonight, it was just Lolina on stage sans band, appearing in an oversized pin-stripe suit, with a few funky hats and costume changes during her set. She began with the first tracks from Unrecognisable, including what could be a calling card, Paris Hell Rising: “You think you know me, huh?” and “Either way, a disaster is never that far away,” perhaps a tip of the hat to previous experiments, perhaps? The new album also features some low-pitch-shifted singing, simultaneously exotic and foreboding, channelling some dark Tricky moods.
We were treated to some exquisite, darker, slower numbers, replete with pulverising bass notes that sounded crisp and punchy from the sound system. She also delved into her signature Euro-pop forays, such as the excellent Easy Rider Geneva Heat, delivered in her classic deadpan tones with a sing-song lilt to it all. On occasion she would pick up a large bass guitar strategically placed on a stand and simply hold it without plucking a single note, swaying to the song as she simply focused on her singing. Lolina has a penchant for telling a good late-night tale over skeletal tracks, which frame her stories in an atmosphere of dive bars at 2am choked with cigarette smoke. She closed with an extended, enhanced version of 15 mins, wrapping up the strange dark set with some halting, trancey head-nodding rhythms.
Opening the evening was Great Statue, aka the theatrical electronic project of songstress Annika Moses. Sporting sunglasses, a tinnie in hand, and an attitudinous slouch throughout, Moses crooned through her nearly one-hour set. The length was unexpected but well received as there was some serious songwriting on show tonight, all delivered with oodles of confidence and swagger with more than a few cool poses struck. Lofting a glowing mini-disco ball at times, she sauntered down from the stage and into the crowd to perform a few tunes; the second time she did this, she disappeared from the stage, appearing again in the audience but more stalky this time and entirely appropriate given the dark, sleazy synthesiser vibes emanating from the stage. Great Statue were, well, bloody great.
Glueing the evening altogether was the wonderful Rok Riley on the decks, reaching into her crate of spacious oddball tunes appropriate for the evening and throwing in some dubby electronic tricks that perfectly complemented the performers tonight.
All up, it was a three-act night of top-notch acts. Although “niche,” the rapt audience knew this music intimately, fitting snugly into The Rechabite’s main floor and making the journey to Northbridge on a rainy Sunday night well worth the trip. On this night, the underground music scene in Perth was truly alive and well.
PAUL DOUGHTY