Local Natives + Cloud Control

More than a premise, what follows is a plain statement of fact: folk-pop is hugely popular in Italy. In terms of audience response, there's no shortage of evidence: from pioneers Mumford & Sons to the recent sold-out shows, at the Estragon itself, by Of Monsters And Men and the Lumineers. In short, alt-folk is something of a gold mine right now, the trend everyone's chasing: so it's not all that surprising that the Los Angeles-based Local Natives are making their third visit to Italy in a single year, for a total of seven shows between headline gigs and summer festival appearances.

This is also why tonight in Bologna (Rome and Florence are to follow), there's not even a hint of a sold-out risk; turnout will still be decent by the end, though plenty of people will arrive only just in time for the Americans' set, missing the convincing performance from Cloud Control, fresh off the release of their second album "Dream Cave". The Australian band prove to be far more than a mere "support act", winning over those present during the half hour they're given; a couple of tracks pulled from their debut "Bliss Release" and a handful of singles or potential ones drawn from "Dream Cave" are enough to make clear we're in the presence of a thoroughly solid group. There's real chemistry between the band's two frontpeople, Alister Wright and Heidi Lenffer, in the way their voices meet during the performance of songs that, it should be noted, find new life in their live incarnation. Word has it they'll be back before too long for a run of headline shows of their own: we're certainly rooting for that to happen.

Local Natives, on the other hand, are pretty much what you'd expect: very precise, with a great sound (and on this point we can only note the improvements made by the Estragon in that respect), fine voices, and just engaging enough to draw in the crowd and keep it alive. Their near-perfect vocal harmonies make them a kind of updated version of the Fleet Foxes crossed with the Beach Boys. Then again, when you have two albums to draw from, both packed with easy sing-along choruses, the road ahead can only be downhill all the way. The five Californians operate on thoroughly contemporary ground, leaning on impactful choruses in search of that choral emotional pull of which Arcade Fire are the true masters. To be clear: Local Natives really know what they're doing, and then some: the stage, more than the studio, is the dimension that suits the band best, and their songs — think of the live staples "Heavy Feet", "Breakers", "Sun Hands" — are practically built to be sung along with the crowd, who are frequently prompted and quick to respond.

The setlist draws almost equally from both the debut "Gorilla Manor" and the recent "Hummingbird", surgically selecting the catchiest tracks from each batch. Over time, all this consistency ends up draining some of the empathy from the middle stretch of the show and makes certain moments feel predictable, like the psychedelic crescendos used to fuel the final collective release, "calling in" the crowd's singalong. These are details one could argue over for hours without reaching a conclusion, so subjective is the perception of a live show like this.

The final impression Local Natives leave us with is of a band that enjoys being on stage, convinced of what it's doing and on a steady rise. Should they decide to get their hands a little dirtier, things could really get interesting.

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