Fusing electro, synth-rock dance and R&B, Little Dragon may be hard to categorise, but their brand of beat-laden pop packs a feisty punch.

Fronted by the crystalline-voiced Yukimi Nagano, the Swedish four-piece peddle a sound which brims over with bass, beats and, on latest album, the Top 14 hit Nabuma Rubberband, soul and funk – with inspirations from the pure pop of Prince and Janet Jackson.

Formed back in 1996 by Yukimi and school friends Erik Bodin (drums) and Fredrik Wallin (bass), it was the addition, in 2000, of keys player expert Håkan Wirenstrand, with his love of Jean Michel Jarre and Kraftwerk, that gave them their distinctive sound – moving them from their roots in jazz and hip-hop and into the synth-soaked worlds of Deutsch-rock and electro-pop.

Ever since their first single Twice was used in TV shows Grey’s Anatomy, 90210, Revenge, The Vampire Diaries, and Being Mary Jane, the band have been a huge global concern – enjoying relative anonymity on the streets of their native Gothenburg but cult fame in London, New York and Los Angeles.

On Saturday they return to Oxford with a show which Yukimi promises will feature tunes from all their albums.

It precedes another bout of frenzied writing throughout the long Swedish winter. And we can expect something different.

“I’m dying to write new songs,” she tells us, speaking from her rainy hometown.

“I always want to try something else. Being comfortable is an uncomfortable place; I hate feeling comfortable.

“Sometimes it’s nice to write whatever you’re thinking and not be too critical, as long as it doesn’t sound like anything else you’ve done.

“It’s about being inspired. When you are finding your voice you can’t write the same songs over and over again. It’s about finding yourself.”

The tour follows the release of the single Pretty Girls, which was accompanied by a darkly sexy zombie-themed video, the second in a two-part ‘living-dead’-themed collaboration with creative director Nabil, which follows the video for Klapp Klapp.

CHECK IT OUT
Little Dragon play the O2 Academy Oxford on Saturday, with NAO and Gilles Peterson.
Tickets are £19.50 from ticketweb.co.uk

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