First Aid Kit

Dreamy and beautiful is how I'd describe last night's gig at Union Chapel in Islington, partly because of the venue, a drafty Victorian gothic church, but mostly because of the gifted act, acoustic folk duo First Aid Kit.

When I first heard about these young Swedish sisters a couple of weeks ago, I muttered "First Aid Band? That's an odd name" in a granny fashion and suddenly felt my age.  Like LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy opined so well in Losing My Edge, I was feeling out of touch with new music even though I'm not THAT old (well mid-thirties so old enough).  That's what comes from freelancing at home and not having regular conversations with fellow music lovers. Not to mention severely cutting back on frivolous gig going, in an attempt to save money.

Which is how I found myself enthralled with the intensely beautiful harmonies of Klara and Johanna Söderberg, aged just 16 and 19, from Stockholm. One plays acoustic guitar, the other keyboard. Think melancholy folk and more playful country. They sing and speak with American accents too.

Their cover of Fleet Foxes' Tiger Mountain Peasant Song in which the two perform in the middle of a Scandinavian wood, was a YouTube hit and is how many people discovered them.

Wise lyrics beyond their years in songs such as Tangerine and You're Not Coming Home "He speaks with his eyes closed and even though you're not alone, he's never there to be with you" combined with an ethereal quality to their voices created a mesmerising, sometimes haunting, performance. Their MySpace strapline is "We aim for the hearts, not the charts!". Sweet.

At times the church was so quiet that when they went off-mic for more intimate songs such as Ghost Town and In The Morning, you could hear the slight rustle of their floaty bright blue and orange dresses, such was the love and respect of the crowd. Given their age, I was also really impressed with their chattiness. Not too much, but enough for us to realise that they seem like really nice, likeable girls.

And the venue! It's a crime that I've never been there before. Union Chapel is a working church which turns into a dramatic, magically lit spiritual cavern of music at night.  With the most amazing acoustics ever. Plus sitting in church pews means you're virtually guaranteed a great view of the altar (complete bonus if you're short like me). You can nip out for a drink at the bar too. What a lovely, unforgettable gig.

Right, off to listen to the Tiny, another Swedish group, who were the support last night...