I found London Grammar through one of those “if you like this, you’ll probably like that” algorithms on the Internet. It was probably Spotify. I immediately fell in love with the power that this band conveys through simple arrangements of dreamy pop music and the incredibly rich voice of Hannah Reid. I caught them live at a packed Underground Arts in Philly way back in April 2014 where they proved to me that they had as much impact live as they do on their studio recordings.
This version of “Hey Now” from the 2014 Montreux Jazz Festival became one of my go to videos when I was in the mood for London Grammar. This song started the set, just like it starts their debut album If You Wait from 2013.
Let’s be honest. If you were born anytime before 1985, you remember a time when you couldn’t watch your favorite musicians perform live, on demand, whenever the fuck you want, with a super computer that you carry around in your pocket. If you’re a music fan who remembers those dark days, the abundance of high quality concert footage available anytime you want it on YouTube is really quite unbelievable. And I’m not even talking about the crappy phone footage that the annoying guy next to you at a concert painstakingly took instead of paying attention to the show. I’m talking about multi-camera, broadcast quality footage.
To celebrate this incredible gift to humanity, I’m sharing my favorite “single song” clips that I’ve watched over and over again on the Tube. And by the way, if you don’t feel like the ~$10/month it costs to get rid of the ads on YouTube is worth it, trust me. It’s totally worth it (and I don’t get anything for saying that).