High Llamas @ Petit Bain, Paris - April 9th, 2025

It was a night of hushed wonder at Petit Bain, where High Llamas brought their quietly dazzling pop to an unusually attentive Parisian crowd. The dB meter hovered around 75, but the subdued volume didn’t dull the experience—instead, it drew us in closer. Centering their set around Hey Panda, the band's latest album, Sean O’Hagan and company leaned into a more electronic palette, threading loops and samplers into their already intricate arrangements. What could have been clinical in lesser hands became warmly hypnotic, thanks to the band’s signature blend of jazzy chord progressions, baroque pop structures, and gentle psychedelia.

A standout addition to this iteration of the group is O’Hagan’s daughter, Livvy O'Hagan, whose understated vocals added a new layer of intimacy and elegance. The songs, though dense with ideas and full of subtle voicings, remained strikingly accessible—memorable, even hummable—and at times surprisingly danceable, such as on the understated bossa-nova groove of "Bade Amey" or the near-calypso lounge music of "Cookie Bay." They closed the set with a gentle, chiming rendition of their signature track, "Checking In, Checking Out" which, staggeringly, is now over three decades old.

In an era of maximalist live shows, High Llamas offered a compelling counterpoint: complex yet clear, playful yet precise. A quietly unforgettable evening.

Setlist:

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