This year Orlando Weeks, along with friends Nic Nell and Alessi Laurent-Marke (of Alessi's Ark) released a wonderful limited edition 6 track EP under the pseudonym of Young Colossus all compiled into a beautifully illustrated book by Robert Hunter. The EP and book combined tell a sweet coming of age story with a soundtrack that gives hints of Karen O & the Kids, Fever Ray and Animal Collective so if (like me) you like that kinda thing you should definitely give it a listen.
Being a huge fan of the project, when a one off live show was announced I knew I had to be there. And so once again I find myself on a train down to London's Elephant and Castle district to the quaint (and bloody hard to find!) Corsica Studios. As I'm walking down the street I hear an 'OI, SCOTT!' from across the road and to my surprise it's Felix White from The Maccabees who tells me he's been called in last minute to play some guitar parts. 'I've got no idea what I'm doing man but it's gonna be fun!'. Fe isn't the only friend Orlando has drafted in to help tonight, as joining himself, Alessi, Rob & Nic on stage we also have Louis & Sami from La Shark.
Given the visual element of the project it's no surprise to find that this has translated to the live performance too. The room itself is shrouded in mist and fog and as I make my way through the scattered leaves and hanging vines to the giant illuminated moon at the end of the room it feels like I've walked not into a tiny studio but rather into another world. Tonight we're treated to every song from the EP, some given extra verses and extended instrumentals to make up for the short length of the record. The eerie, glimmering sounds fit perfectly with the surroundings, and highlights for me are the beautifully monotonous 'Franky', the bizzare 'Monster's Dance' and the never-before-heard demo 'Hope'. After the last song, Orlando thanks everybody for coming and announces that to commemorate the special one off occasion everybody is being given a stunning B2 poster designed by Robert Hunter to be collected at the box office on the way out. The icing on the cake to what has already been a very special evening. Here's hoping to another Young Colossus venture in the future.
