Lightspeed Champion Charms Mercury Lounge

There is something about Dev Hynes (aka Lightspeed Champion) that even before he opens his mouth he can char the pants off of you. In a bushy fur hat and a light brown fair isle sweater, he takes the stage with an acoustic guitar and the support of one violinist to sing tracks from his debut album Falling Off The Lavender Bridge.

His nervousness throughout the set only made the crowd embrace him throughout the performance. He stumbled a bit on his words, tried to make a bit of small talk and even claimed he was going to tell us a joke (we never did hear that joke!) but it only made the show that much better. Opening with "Happy Fucking Birthday" into "Galaxy of the Lost" got the crowd to sing along and even slightly bop along to the tunes.

Playing a short set of approximately 45 minutes there were even a few surprises thrown into the mix. Playing a cover of the Strokes' "Heart In A Cage" midway through the set as well as an encore of "Xanadu" were complete curve balls that everyone loved.

Hands down, Lightspeed Champion was one of the most enjoyable shows of the year...if you have the urge to see him at SXSW make the effort to.


Photo credit: mediaeater