LIVE: Gurr @ The Lexington

On the lengthy Pentonville Road, between the stations of Kings Cross and Angel, lies one of London’s most institutionalised live music venues - The Lexington. There is a certain romanticism about The Lexington, one of the gems of London’s live indie music circuit the venue attracts many a promoter and artist. It is no wonder the walls are filled with promotional posters of artists - it is a hugely popular venue.

As you head upstairs from the pub to the venue, there is a change in atmosphere, and you can sense growing anticipation for a sold-out show by German duo Gurr. Hailing from Berlin consisting of Andrey Casablanca and Laura Lee, Gurr has been steadily on the rise since the release of In My Head in 2016 – the winner of the Independent Music Companies Association album of the year following its release. The Lexington is familiar territory for Gurr, after performing at the London venue in October.

The date ends a brief European tour that has seen the pair perform in Essen, Amsterdam, Paris and London in the space of a week. There is genuine excitement from all involved as the pair carried refulgent smiles beaming on their faces as they take to the stage to the Harry Potter score. “There’s no magic in Germany, so we’ve had to come to London,” claims a riant Laura, before bursting into their second album title track, ‘She Says’.

The talkative pair are genuine crowd-pleasers, reflected with an audience that varied in ages – this was even more reciprocated as they surprised us with a cover of Gwen Stefani’s 'Hollaback Girl'. A triplet of songs in their mother tongue followed but this isn’t without them asking the crowd if they should do them in German or English. German is the overwhelming reply.

Heading towards the end of the set, a stripped-down version of ‘Moby Dick’ gave an intimate moment before bursting into their most recent single – a cover of 'Beetlebum' by Britpop legends Blur. The cover has been very well received since its release in November - one which the band have certainly stamped their credentials on. Eventually, Andrey dropped the guitar for an electrifying performance of ‘Klartraum’ - one that saw her jump in a crowd that subsequently dropped her, much to everyone’s, including her own, amusement.

“We haven’t got much Merch with us”, Laura cries as they return to the stage for the encore, “all that we could carry anyway”. The pair have travelled via train, instead of the traditional tour van, using Coldplay (who are not touring due to environmental concerns) as an example that it is possible to do. They close with 'Hot Summer' – their 2018 single wrote in London – and, finally, '#1985', which sees an exciting and cheerful set come to a perfect end.