#26.02.2014

Cloud Boat - Rockhal Café (Luxembourg) - 26.02.2014

The debut album of London duo Sam Ricketts and Tom Clarke aka Cloud Boat already featured on my list of records to purchase when their gig was announced, but with the prospect of seeing them live, I was of course going to wait and contribute to the sales figures at the merch stand ;)

A performance in the intimate settings of the Rockhal Café is always a treat, and the venue was particularly well suited for Cloud Boat’s dreamy music. Notably during the parts enhanced by Tom’s haunting vocals, I felt compelled to listen with eyes closed (though Sam complimented the audience for their silence, there was still too much chatting during the songs for my liking).

Naturally, the stage in the Rockhal Café is a tiny one, and this time it was piled with fancy electronic equipment of which I neither know the designation nor the purpose, but which was skillfully used by the band to create a unique sound experience. However, Sam proved that also more mundane tools – more precisely a screwdriver swept over the strings of his guitar – can, in the right hands, produce highly interesting audio effects.