Hot on the heels of the release of excellent new album Avalanche, Danish soul duo Quadron are touring the states and bringing the marvelous combination of Robin Hannibal's production and Coco O's angelic voice to the stage. While Hannibal was not on stage with Coco and the band, their tunes still came to life beautifully in the live setting. Taking the cool, collecting subtlety of Avalanche on record to a full band arrangement, Quadron filled Nectar Lounge from top to bottom. Together, with an opening set from local soul group Nolie Durham Seattle Soul, the night was rich with good vibes and good tunes - can't ask for much more.
Nolie Durham and her band are quintessential party starters. Durham is quite the Seattle Renaissance woman - when she's not writing soulful and witty confessionals, she's the marketing manager at a medical facility in Everett. Plus, her band is made of up similarly multi-faceted talent. Altogether, the band puts on a great set, holding energy high and keeping the groove going. Tonight was no different - Nolie Durham Seattle Soul showed off their diverse sound and filled the house for Quadron's set.
Nolie Durham Seattle Soul:
Coco O doesn't have much of a poker face. Nectar Lounge learned this after the stage was reassembled and sound check finished and her and the rest of Quadron's live lineup filled the stage. She was not expecting a packed house turnout. But thanks to Quadron's excellent new record Avalanche - maybe helped out by Coco's recent collaborations with Kaskade, Tyler the Creator, and on the Great Gatsby soundtrack - she and the band are getting the attention they really deserve. So if you made it to Tuesday night's show, you know that it may have been worth showing up just to see that first smile she shot the crowd as the entire building sang along to Avalanche opener "LFT". Coco's vocals didn't falter one bit from the quality of the studio recording - she carried the evening with all the strength and finesse that we had hoped for. The new tracks sound incredible. The disco dancer "Favorite Star", the charting pop majesty of "Hey Love", and the vintage R&B vibe of "It's Gonna Get You" were among highlights. Quadron even made their way back through some of the 2009 self-titled record's singles like "Jeans" and "Unpatience". But the crowd really lost it when Coco and the band came back out for their encore and played a stripped down, slinking rendition of Michael Jackson's classic "Baby Be Mine". The Quadron interpretation tended more towards coffee house jazz than 80s dance glory, but regardless, the emotional impact was the same. Closing the night, Coco started in on a jaw-dropping a cappella of Quadron's 2009 cut "Pressure" before the band came in and close out with a bang. It is wonderful to see a deserving artist first get a taste of the credit they deserve, and tonight, we got to celebrate with Coco as she and Robin Hannibal see the fruits of their labor bloom this year.
Quadron:
Zach Yudin's music endeavors as Cayucas have been gaining some serious momentum since his band's tour with Ra Ra Riot this past February. With their full length debut, Bigfoot, out now on Secretly Canadian, and some favorable reviews from Fader and the like, Yudin is back out on the road headlining…
