Alone in the spotlight, Zach Condon softly plays his ukulele, his quivering croon flying towards the damp-splattered ceiling of a London church while his five-strong band, Beirut, look on. It’s a spine-tingling moment, not just because of the added resonance the venue adds to Condon’s plaintive voice, but because he looks so relaxed and happy to be there.
During Beirut’s nine-year career, touring has led to Condon being admitted to hospital twice – during the band’s 2006 European jaunt and while playing Australia in 2013. Now, having been through a divorce and battled writer’s block, Condon’s found love and a new direction that’s resulted in Beirut’s happiest, poppiest album yet, No No No. Stripping back the usual lashings of mariachi and Balkan-influenced brass in favour of simple drum, bass and piano, it reveals a musical nomad who may have finally found a home of his own.
But live, Condon’s trumpet is never far from reach and the brass section are front of stage beside him as Beirut joyfully thumb through their distinctive back catalogue. The horns – fellow trumpeter Kyle Resnick and trombonist Ben Lanz – embroider on the melancholy of Elephant Gun and add an exotic sadness to the stirrings of 70s US FM radio pop within East Harlem, which blooms in new songs No No No, and August Holland. Although the latter is horn-free on record, Resnick, Lanz and Condon’s subtle brass shading works well, as does the footage of blurred diamond-shapes that accompanies gorgeous instrumental As Needed. Less successful are the atmosphere-shattering, bright white search lights that periodically reach from the back of the stage to reveal every stained crevice.
Thankfully, Beirut’s version of A Hawk and a Hacksaw and the Hun Hangár Ensemble’s Serbian Cocek maintains the transportive mood, while Nick Petree’s passionate drumming through both The Shrew and Nantes leaves the swaying crowd begging for more. After a powerful encore featuring agenda-setting classic The Gulag Orkestar they, like Condon, have every reason to be cheerful.
