Simone White & O. Children

The secret to ruining a great concert? To tell the truth, it's not even that much of a secret. Just organize it in a venue that's easy for everyone to reach (and no place fits the bill better than the Tender Club, a recently opened venue near Florence Santa Maria Novella station), make it free, and there you have it. Because while the fact that an event is free is certainly no excuse in itself (and without doubt, the organizers' intentions were, and remain, of the noblest kind), it only takes a non-paying crowd drawn in by that free admission—totally indifferent and, worse, disrespectful toward the performing artists—to wreck everything.

A shame, because the opportunity was truly a mouth-watering one. Especially for someone like myself, who has long followed the delicate poetry woven by Hawaiian singer-songwriter Simone White, as well as the dark epic of post-punk and gothic-rock crafted by Londoners O. Children, both bringing their music to Italy for the very first time—this was truly an unmissable event. Over two and a half hours of live music (put together in collaboration with the dROME brand, invited to showcase its latest releases), and despite the extremely annoying background noise, the emotional intensity stayed consistently high, guaranteeing anyone paying attention a thoroughly satisfying live experience.

After a few technical hiccups (which saw the singer-songwriter using a guitar completely different from her own), it's Simone White who takes to the Tender Club stage first, at around 11:20pm, presenting her latest work, "Silver Silver", released this past May. The album's intimate quality is recreated in full (instrumental interludes included), aided by two highly capable collaborators on drums and keyboards, who managed to reproduce all the rhythmic subtleties and sonic nuances of the record, far more intricate than her previous work.

And while there was no shortage of nods to her past output (including the two crowd-pleasers "The Beep Beep Song" and "Bunny In A Bunny Suit", which kicked off the concert), it was the songs from her latest album that truly emerged as the stars of the show, revealing (not that it needed proving) the more engaging and lively side of a musician perfectly at home on stage. Although it stood out from the rest simply for its unusual interpretive choice—the version of "Never Be That Tough" sung entirely in Italian (with gorgeous pronunciation, no less!)—the hypnotic effect produced by "In The Water The City Ends" (closed out by a sensational drum solo), the seasoned skill in handling the beats of "What The Devil Brings", and the gentle warmth of the title track all perfectly capture the portrait of an artist in splendid form, able to win over the crowd with modesty and simplicity even in a far-from-ideal setting.

The audience's approach to O Children is markedly different right from the start. Whether it's down to the far more powerful, rock-driven sound compared to the fragile folk framework of the American singer-songwriter, or perhaps simply due to a larger number of interested fans, the connection with the four young Londoners feels warmer and more solid from the very first note, cutting down—if only somewhat—on the surrounding chatter. And what chatter remains is quickly drowned out by the band's massive wall of sound.

For the second stop of their mini-tour around the country, and with an attitude noticeably less gothic than their videos might suggest (with bassist Harry James sporting a t-shirt from fellow countrymen Peace), the quartet unleashes the full, powerful epic charge of their music right from the opener "Holy Wood", evenly alternating tracks from their self-titled debut with cuts from the more recent "Apnea".

Without resorting to cheap theatrics, and instead getting straight to the point, the Londoners—led by the highly distinctive voice of Tobi O'Kandi, who if anything sounds even more idiosyncratic live—show off, in the hour and a quarter allotted to them, their excellent, thoroughly up-to-date brand of modern post-punk. With drummer Andrew Sleath backing up the flawless bass and guitar work—the latter, in the skilled hands of Gauthier Ajarrista, even allowing itself a few brief solo excursions—O Children's music, steeped in a raw, desperate romanticism, resonates through every corner of the venue with a force that grows more gripping with each passing song.

From the gothic onslaughts of "Dead Disco Dancer" and "Malo", to the swirling vortex of "PT Cruiser", by way of the lyrical, almost soul-tinged delivery of "Oceanside", the four lads display, with great ease, a talent that is still criminally overlooked by critics—a talent that, with a bit more attention, could have received a considerably wider response from listeners. And with O'Kandi looking rather amused by the frantic dancing sketched out by a few people in the front rows, this two-and-a-half-hour night comes to a close, having thoroughly satisfied all those who had the pleasure and the desire to enjoy it. All that's left is to hope that both acts return to Italian stages soon, hopefully in front of a more engaged and participative crowd.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google