Lemaitre in Concert
Some titles turn out to be almost prophetic. The Norwegian duo Lemaitre called their first single "Momentum," and they've since kicked off an exceptional run of progressively more nuanced indie-dance and chill-house releases. With their autumn 2018 U.S. tour supporting the (fittingly titled) singles "Big" and "Rocket Girl," Lemaitre make good on their trajectory with a show that's as supersized as their choruses.
Ketil Jansen and Ulrik Denizou Lund's sets don't stop with synths, guitar, and vocals; they incorporate live drums, a full-on horn section, keytar, and explosive visuals. They can make a 1,000-person theater feel like a stadium — and vice versa. Which is just like their recordings, really: intimate and outsized all at once.
Jansen and Lund met as classmates in Lillehammer, Norway, and launched the project in 2010. Early on, the self-professed "discodudes" specialized in sleek, melodic tunes that hovered between French house and funky electro pop. They borrowed their name from the Belgian priest and astronomer Georges Lemaître, an early proponent of the Big Bang theory, and they built on that cosmic theme in 2012 and 2013 with the 'Relativity' trilogy of EPs. Indeed, "Cut to Black" from 'Relativity 3' twinkled like a sky full of stars, putting their Scandinavian space-disco heritage in the service of pop like that of France's Phoenix.
In 2014, they doubled down on melody with 'Singularity,' alternating between piano riffing and Daft Punk-inspired funk squelch. No wonder Porter Robinson chose them as openers for his Worlds tour that year. And with their newfound focus on songwriting, they truly hit their stride. With 2016's "Closer" (featuring Jennie A.) — an irresistible tune fusing wintry 1960s pop ‘n' soul with digital horns reminiscent of Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" — the duo would eventually notch tens of millions of streams.
While Lemaitre's sound is consistently thrilling, they're versatile enough to adapt to a growing roster of singers, whether that's the steely delivery of Los Angeles' Mark Johns (a signee to Skrillex's OWSLA label) on 2016's ‘1749' or The Knocks' cheerful Britpop snarl on "We Got U."
With 2018's run of singles, Lemaitre keep building on their momentum — "Little Things" is the Britpop sing-along 1995 didn't know it was missing, "It's Not This" injects a crucial dose of color and emotion into chill house. The expansive repertoire becomes nothing short of stratospheric when it hits the stage.
