Gig review: Ladyhawke, Liquid Room, Edinburgh

A GOOD rhythm section can hide a multitude of sins, but in Ladyhawke’s case it makes songs that seem a little anaemic on record spring to vivid life.

New Zealander Pip Brown is a singer-songwriter with a sense of studio polish that recalls the 1980s’ most antiseptic excesses (not necessarily a bad thing), but her live show rode on the crest of a crunching drum beat and a funk-laden bassline.

With her shaggy blonde hair, paisley jacket and dark trousers, the fresh-faced 32-year-old Kiwi bore both the feminine punk style of Debbie Harry and the delicacy of Stevie Nicks, although perhaps without the eccentricity of either. Her music maintained a lack of deviation away from what she does best, but it worked in this context, building from cute pop songs into something approaching a club party. Each track also quickly grew on the listener, from the guitar funk and 1980s keyboard line of Love Don’t Live Here to the hymnal aesthetic of Cellophane and Vanity’s early Madonna.

As her set bounded to a close, the most familiar songs came out and her packed crowd responded with adoration, through the slick disco of Paris is Burning, the MOR rock of Gone Gone Gone and the unashamed anthemics of My Delirium. “I love you,” whooped one female devotee. “Thank you so much,” replied Brown, “and I hope you had a good time.” Polite, then, and definitely best met in person.

Rating: ****