Over the years, Antony Harding has released several albums’ worth of dappled, pastoral dreampop; his music, which draws ready comparisons to Slowdive and The Durutti Column, is breathy, airy, and shimmery, and positively suffused with nostalgia-inducing atmospherics. (For what it’s worth, Harding lists “lost youth,” “overgrown ancient ruins that still stand,” and “the sound of children playing faraway” as influences, to name a few.)
One might wonder how this sort of music, when its potency relies so much on being ephemeral and intangible, might fare in a live setting. Pretty well as it turns out, as evidenced by these recordings of a recent performance at London’s Cafe Oto. The performances span July Skies’ discography, and Harding — along with Epic45’s Ben Holton and Rob Glover — crafts a truly dreamy wall of sound. The graceful transition from “Girl on the Hill” to an extended version of “Waiting to Land” is especially nice.