Gardens & Villa @ The Lexington, London

The Lexington is host to two bands playing their debut UK shows tonight. Warming us up, Holiday Shores offer a sort of tropical-yacht-treacle; it was a pleasing, if mellowing start to the evening.

“I got a whole load of Krone in my pocket,” announced Shores’ singer Nathan Pemberton, “Anyone know where I can change it?”
“Denmark”, someone cried. He didn’t seem to hear.

Gardens & Villa, on the other hand, immediately captivate the crowd from the chugging splendour of their opening song ‘Black Hills’ onwards. Singer Chris Lynch – who resembles early '90s TV teen-doctor Doogie Howser – is replete with a native American quiver to house his flute. And he plays it with some alacrity.

The band travel through an arrange of styles; from sparse space-tronics to chunky '80s synth-groove; to steamy sultry dancefloor fillers, the latter eliciting quite an array of movement from the female collective in the crowd.

The crowd were already large and loved-up by the end of part one, but the finale stole the show; “This is a song we’ve wanted to play in England for a long time”, announced Lynch before launching into a note perfect cover of ‘Cars’. Absolute belter it was, and a great evening to boot.