New Look
Shacklewell Arms, London
05/07/2011

Here for their first London gig in over two years, New Look, synth-pop duo (and real life couple) have reached a niche cult status since the release of their ‘How’s My Hair’ EP, so it’s not surprising to see this east London pub’s live area filling up quickly just before their set starts.

Sporting a portable synth and a shiny outfit, ex-model-turned-singer Sarah Ruba is visibly thrilled to be back in London and makes sure the audience knows it. The track ‘Numbers’ is played very early in the set and surprises The Fly’s sensitive ears: when Ruba sings “when you call my telephone” repeatedly she almost sounds like she could be a distant cousin of Sade and her ‘Smooth Operator’ – only over icy beats and electro arrangements. Their most recent single, ‘The Ballad’, a slow and heartbreaking number, comes next and mesmerises the crowd. Sadly, it seems it’s the climax everyone was waiting for as many people start chattering loudly over the next song.

There is something really precious about New Look. Perhaps it comes from Ruba’s melancholic gaze and facial expression when she sings, in a way that’s not unlike Natasha Khan’s Bat For Lashes. It’s difficult not to focus on her, especially between songs as she’s eager to talk and address the audience. It’s like a split stage persona: one minutes she looks infinitely sad and majestic, and the next she shouts a strident “fuck!” because she got a key wrong during a song. It must be perfectionism. The set improves as it takes a poppier turn towards the end and it’s easy to understand why New Look have attracted more and more fans – including The xx, who enjoy the show before Jamie xx ends the night with a surprise DJ set.

Christian Pambrun