Live Review: Lime Garden - The Lexington, London 15/11/2022
Lime Garden will be one of those bands to watch for 2023, but it’s okay, we’re in safe hands, based on their show at The Lexington.
The Brighton-based four piece filled out the 200-capacity room, and it was a Tuesday evening well spent in the wonder of Lime Garden and opener Blood Wizard.
In their set, Lime Garden’s frontwoman Chloe Howard revealed they were fans of Blood Wizard for a long time, hence inviting them to open for them on the tour.
The Cai Burns-led project grew into a five-piece on the stage, with a fusion of intensity and laid-back vibes. There were angular moments, and occasionally a Kurt Vile-esque mood, culminating in something to shut your eyes and lose yourself in the music to.
There were a futuristic feel to their half-hour, in that it sounded like how ‘the future’ was made to sound 50 years ago. There were songs from this year’s ‘Imaginary House’ EP, including the title track, ‘The Slip’, and ‘Worm Universe’, and songs from the 2021 album ‘Western Spaghetti’, including ‘Fruit’ and ‘Breaking Even’.
The final track was ‘Halo’. “My baby’s got a halo and I use it sometimes for all kind of things, whatever I like,” he sang. As the sold-out room started to fill – “we can’t take any credit” Cai said, as Blood Wizard were only announced when it was fully booked - they were able to get a groove going in the middle of the room. They’ll get the credit soon enough.
Punctual and impeccable, our four Lime Garden heroes came out to cheers at 9.30. They opened with their most recent single ‘Bitter’. It built slowly, first Annabel Whittle’s drums, then the addition of Leila Deeley’s guitar and then the whole shebang – an apt word for the female quartet, rounded off with Chloe on vocals, occasional guitar and keys, and Tippi Morgan on bass.
Lime Garden held an initial desire to be a ‘girl group’, despite coming from a background of varying musical tastes. It could have been a recipe for disaster, but this set was proof that lime goes with everything.
Chloe, front and centre, should be the muse for a line of ceramic dolls to be sold on Lime Garden’s merch stand. They’re missing a trick if they don’t. It was quick to fall in love with her, especially when she said “I’m in a bit of a pickle” trying to get herself together before the second song ‘Fever’ – not that it held up proceedings. “We’re Lime Garden, let’s have fun,” she announced to the rammed room. We were always going to obey.
The band’s seven releases so far made up the core of the set. Three new ones peppered the show. ‘I Know’ relied on the tried and tested “cross my heart and hope to die” mantra, but with intriguing new emphasis. The second new song (“This is ‘It’, tell us if it’s shit”) sounded like if First Aid Kit went grunge, and ‘Love Song’ isn’t a love song, of course, but an ode to important things which will remain close to you.
‘Marbles’ was the song that got me into Lime Garden, through the magic of the Hayley Williams ‘Everything Is Emo’ podcast. It sounds like it should be a ginormous song, for wedding discos and pop arenas. Thankfully the Brighton-based foursome were fearless in their delivery of it, and it shows a lot of their character that it turned up midway through the show, when lesser acts would use it as a closer.
Chloe’s delivery of ‘Fever’ earlier, and the title lyrics of ‘Sick & Tired’, was full of expression, and it was impossible to take your eyes off her, while simultaneously wanting to keep tabs on the other members left, right, and behind, keeping the whole thing together, feeling tight, and sounding great.
The highlight of the night though was probably ‘Clockwork’, which moves from a calm side to an epic kind of madness, spurred on by Annabel’s drumming. Chloe’s delivery of the lyrics in both styles is hypnotic, as she sang in the chorus “Circles round my head, the ticking timebomb keeps me out of bed”. She wanted the crowd to make it a success, to prove to some of their parents in the crowd that their career path was valid. I think they proved their point.
‘Pulp’ was announced as the final song, and they finished with a flurry. Only, they didn’t. The Lexington’s stage is so small and awkward, so it’s not the first time I’ve seen a band eschew a proposed ‘encore’ because of the struggle to get out and get back in again. So they quickly settled down and kicked into ‘Surf N Turf’, which got the crowd moving at a frantic pace for the true final moments.
It’s all done in a tight 40 mins. Still, it’s a set rammed with bangers. If they can keep this conversation rate going, it will be absolute carnage.
In the not-an-encore break, Chloe said “You’ve been amazing and we’ve been Lime Garden”. You were pretty amazing too, Lime Garden. She earlier used the same adjective to describe the feeling of selling out their first headline tour. Next time in a room big enough to escape for the encore, I reckon.
Words by Samuel Draper
