Live Review: Æ MAK - Paper Dress Vintage, London 04/09/2018

Hailing from Dublin, Æ MAK’s powerful, hypnotic beats and tribalistic sound has no issue with mesmerizing the crowds at Paper Dress Vintage, London.

With her mechanical-like choreography, enchanting voice and eternally flowing box fringe, Æ MAK’s Aoife McCann is nothing short of spellbinding. Having only been together since 2016, Æ MAK have exploded into the UK music scene with their unique blend of synth-pop, tribal chants and catchy up-beat dance music.

Opening with new and upcoming talent such as Hoofa and Dan Stock, the cute Hackney-based Vintage clothing shop, “Paper Dress Vintage”, was in for quite the ride. Æ MAK’s team of three, armed with mixers, laptops and launchpads, tear up the clothing shop with a landscape of sounds, beats and tribal chants that sounds and feels like it should be out of a dream.

Best described as an art performance rather than a traditional live gig (primarily using a range of backing tracks), Aoife McCann leads the trio with an array of movements, twists and facial expressions whilst slowly hypnotising the crowd with her stunning vocals. The set was masterfully planned with each song slowly flowing into one another, giving the audience a unique experience from start to finish.

Not interacting with the crowd, nor introducing themselves, Aoife McCann creates a sense of mystery and intrigue when it comes to the new and upcoming Æ MAK, something that only leaves the crowd at Paper Dress Vintage wanting to be put under their enchanting spell once more.

Words by Jordan Logan