BEIRUT (London Roundhouse, 10/11/07)

Only one year on from their support set at the Camden Roundhouse, 21-year-old Balkan aficionado Zach Condon and his rag-tag group of musicians find themselves returning to the iconic London venue- this time as headiner. This meteoric rise to prominence is well-deserved; the baby-faced prodigy’s mix of stirring indie balladry infused with strong Gypsy influences is perfect fodder for a live show, and with his ever-expanding entourage by his side it simply gets better and better.

Touring new album “The Flying Cup Club,” their semaphore LP finds them taking inspiration from the smoke-filled cafes of Paris, the city where Condon now resides. Although not yet as accomplished as their earlier work, the Sufjan-in-Arabia bounce of In The Mausoleum and the accordion-infused Nantes hold up impressively well against old favourites Postcards From Italy and Elephant Gun, although songs like The Penalty still lack much-needed oomph. Zach himself has progressed leaps and bounds in the last year, his crippling stage-fright replaced with a quiet confidence and his rich, characterful croon, evocative of Morrissey (sans sneer) sounds better than ever. The acoustics and mix (at least at the front) were as perfect as I’ve ever heard at a gig; the trumpets were warm and clear, the violin (so often submerged under guitars, brass and other such frippery) was always audible and the volume was pitched impeccably, allowing the full force of their ramshackle orchestral sound to encompass the Roundhouse.

If the setlist was slightly imbalanced at times, the quality of the music generally covered for it, and the Soviet brass march of Gulag Orkestar and brilliant Romanian standard Siki Siki Baba formed one of the most enjoyable encores I’ve seen in a long time. I’ve seen Beirut six times now, and this was easily their finest performance so far- if they can make their newer stuff as compelling as the rest of their oeuvre, one can only imagine how amazing they’d be.

(Photo: Littlejonesie (Flickr))