The Lemon Twigs at O2 Shepherd’s Bush, London Review 

With a string of three strong albums behind them, The Lemon Twigs look to build on their success with a performance at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush. Sitting in the rafters is the best place to be for their Beach Boys and Beatles-influenced sound. Heavy those tones may be on The Lemon Twigs, it’s what comes from redefining them across a series of outstanding albums that are both lived-in of the time and completely refreshed by the modern spin the D’Addario brothers give this sound. A classy time to be had indeed, with The Lemon Twigs’ latest UK tour in support of their new album, Look for Your Mind! Look indeed, and be delighted with what you find. Within the walls of Shepherd’s Bush, there’s a band whose longevity is fresh. Ironic, given the genre they’ve taken up here is moved by a wholly vintage style. But it works, and within The Lemon Twigs’ style is not a cosplay of the times but a sincere commitment to what made that era of music so profound and moving.  

They capture that well enough with their performance here, a blistering run-through of their very best works and latest album features. A few moments of chatter with the crowd, but it’s mostly business from the band as they seek to build on the well-deserved momentum that comes off the back of Everything Harmony and A Dream Is All We Know. Both albums are given a fair showing in their Shepherd’s Bush performance, as is their latest album, Look for Your Mind!. Their style isn’t just a nod to the ‘60s, though, with latter-stage performances indicating a love of the heavier rock found after The Beatles broke up and Brian Wilson was relegated in The Beach Boys pecking order. Fire and Gold and Rock On (Over and Over) are great examples of that sharp sound paired with a new and innovative flair for the theatrics of the genre.  

Brian D’Addario pops up for a solo pairing in the encore of the show, but before that, it’s a neat and streamlined collection of similar-sounding hits from the band. My Golden Years is given a showing early doors, and rightly so, an outstanding piece of work from the D’Addario brothers. Pair that with the brothers’ staggering vocal range and exceptional foil in the form of drummer-turned-guitarist Reza Matin and all-rounder talent on bass and keyboards, Danny Ayala, and it’s hard not to fall for the band’s stylish sound. Their loved-up songs of simple romance rival those of the times and sound they replicate not just through nostalgia but the pangs of honesty that come through. I Just Can’t Get Over Losing You and You’re Still My Girl are sentimentally heavy but heed a delicate message.  

Much of the band’s work does just that. A cover of Love’s No Matter What You Do rounds out the excitable and often rocking set. There’s space for melancholy and momentous guitar work that has Brian D’Addario leaping around the stage. The Lemon Twigs strike as not just a band with plenty to give an oversaturated genre, but as consummate professionals who blur having fun with the audience into an essential tool that gives them time to switch out instruments, figure out the kinks in their set, and ultimately provide an experience well worth the price of admission. The Lemon Twigs’ back catalogue may sound a little same-y too often, but there’s a balance to this setlist between contemporary tracks and songs from their previous records that did so well to cement the band as dependable rock stylers.