She & Him at Koko
The Chapin Sisters
Koko, 7 May 2010
Before they come on I overhear someone mention The Watson Twins in reference to support act The Chapin Sisters and when they finally emerge, it's apparent there's plenty of truth to the comparison beyond simply being another pair of singing siblings.
Looking very Stevie Nicks with their diaphanous, floaty black gowns and Joni-like long blonde hair, they look like they've stepped out of the 70s. The music is an enticing but familiar mix of folk and country, very much in the Jenny Lewis mould, but their biggest selling point is the blend of their voices which sound rich, lush and gorgeous in harmony with one another, the a cappella opening number showcasing this to perfect effect. After several songs with the girls accompanying themselves on guitar, it's pleasant if not exactly memorable and starts to drag. But things start to look up when they invite She & Him's backing band on to join them, whip out a banjo and begin singing an old Doc Watson country tune. It sounds fantastic and suddenly I start warming up to this sister act.
Apparently there is a third Chapin sister who usually sings with them but back at home in the States with a new baby, they tell us on this tour they've found a new sister and out runs Zooey Deschanel, or Zooey Chapin as they call her. It nicely breaks the high anticipation for her arrival on stage, (judging from the amount of prom dresses and hair bows, she's pretty much idolised by some fans) and it's a nice first appearance on a London stage, rather than making the big grand entrance as the all-important, movie star turned singer. She sounds great with the sisters on a rollicking final number and the whole thing is a likeable, enjoyable affair.
We don't have to wait too long for Zooey's return and, along with Matt Ward and the rest of the band (rather cool looking older country music types), which includes the Chapin Sisters, now dressed in flowing white dresses, she literally bounces on stage in a sparkly silver baby doll dress tapping a tambourine, looking tiny and petite and cute as a button. Ward, on the other hand, is sporting a Rhett Butler style moustache, which somehow seems perfectly paired with Zooey's sweet, 60s-style charm. I've heard reports of Zooey being awkward and nervous live but after a couple of tours now and the band's first jaunt around Europe, she looks pretty comfortable on stage and happy enough to me, although there are moments where her voice falters in a nervous way, usually when she's distracted by the noisy audience members calling her name and shouting their undying love for her (this happens quite a lot throughout the night). Once she learns M. Ward's trick of ignoring us completely I'm sure she'll be fine, although it is quite endearing how awkwardly she reacts.
Starting the show with I Was Made For You, like an old Shangri-Las hit complete with girly doo-wop backing vocals courtesy of the Chapins, they whiz through such sunny pop songs like Thieves, In The Sun and Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? (one of the happiest, rocking moments of the night), as well as well judged slower numbers such as their call and response version of the old Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong song Would You Like To Take A Walk, which gives them a chance to be a proper duo. And really there's something sweetly old fashioned about their music, as evidenced by the smooth transition from Zooey's self-penned numbers to the covers of classic material. The encore in particular proves this with Zooey and Matt moving from the old jazzy standard Fools Rush In to the 50s rock n' roll of Chuck Berry's Roll Over Beethoven and it all sounding perfectly in tune with their own material.
For some reason though, while Zooey jauntily jumps around during the upbeat numbers like a kid on a trampoline, it's the songs where she's behind an instrument that she seems most at home and animated, whether it's strumming on her little telecaster-shaped ukulele on M. Ward's Magic Trick (which sounds more joyous and fun with Zooey's added vocals) or playing keyboards on her own songs. It's sort of heartening and nice that she appears to be a musician at heart and I can't help but respect her more for it. But it's her voice that is the most surprisingly thing: bright and clear as a sunny day, it's much stronger than you'd imagine and called back for a second encore by an extremely enthusiastic crowd, Ward and Deschanel alone on stage play an absolutely mesmerising version of the old Screamin' Jay Hawkins track I Put A Spell On You with Zooey's voice taking centre stage and it's, well, incredible. There's no other word for it. I got chills as she belted out the final notes and it was easily the best moment of the night and an amazing closer.
Other times I've seen M.Ward I've come away amazed by his guitar playing but tonight, he stepped back and the show belonged to Zooey, and what a star she is. I almost don't want her to return to movies because in music she really is a joy.
Looking very Stevie Nicks with their diaphanous, floaty black gowns and Joni-like long blonde hair, they look like they've stepped out of the 70s. The music is an enticing but familiar mix of folk and country, very much in the Jenny Lewis mould, but their biggest selling point is the blend of their voices which sound rich, lush and gorgeous in harmony with one another, the a cappella opening number showcasing this to perfect effect. After several songs with the girls accompanying themselves on guitar, it's pleasant if not exactly memorable and starts to drag. But things start to look up when they invite She & Him's backing band on to join them, whip out a banjo and begin singing an old Doc Watson country tune. It sounds fantastic and suddenly I start warming up to this sister act.
Apparently there is a third Chapin sister who usually sings with them but back at home in the States with a new baby, they tell us on this tour they've found a new sister and out runs Zooey Deschanel, or Zooey Chapin as they call her. It nicely breaks the high anticipation for her arrival on stage, (judging from the amount of prom dresses and hair bows, she's pretty much idolised by some fans) and it's a nice first appearance on a London stage, rather than making the big grand entrance as the all-important, movie star turned singer. She sounds great with the sisters on a rollicking final number and the whole thing is a likeable, enjoyable affair.
We don't have to wait too long for Zooey's return and, along with Matt Ward and the rest of the band (rather cool looking older country music types), which includes the Chapin Sisters, now dressed in flowing white dresses, she literally bounces on stage in a sparkly silver baby doll dress tapping a tambourine, looking tiny and petite and cute as a button. Ward, on the other hand, is sporting a Rhett Butler style moustache, which somehow seems perfectly paired with Zooey's sweet, 60s-style charm. I've heard reports of Zooey being awkward and nervous live but after a couple of tours now and the band's first jaunt around Europe, she looks pretty comfortable on stage and happy enough to me, although there are moments where her voice falters in a nervous way, usually when she's distracted by the noisy audience members calling her name and shouting their undying love for her (this happens quite a lot throughout the night). Once she learns M. Ward's trick of ignoring us completely I'm sure she'll be fine, although it is quite endearing how awkwardly she reacts.
Starting the show with I Was Made For You, like an old Shangri-Las hit complete with girly doo-wop backing vocals courtesy of the Chapins, they whiz through such sunny pop songs like Thieves, In The Sun and Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? (one of the happiest, rocking moments of the night), as well as well judged slower numbers such as their call and response version of the old Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong song Would You Like To Take A Walk, which gives them a chance to be a proper duo. And really there's something sweetly old fashioned about their music, as evidenced by the smooth transition from Zooey's self-penned numbers to the covers of classic material. The encore in particular proves this with Zooey and Matt moving from the old jazzy standard Fools Rush In to the 50s rock n' roll of Chuck Berry's Roll Over Beethoven and it all sounding perfectly in tune with their own material.
For some reason though, while Zooey jauntily jumps around during the upbeat numbers like a kid on a trampoline, it's the songs where she's behind an instrument that she seems most at home and animated, whether it's strumming on her little telecaster-shaped ukulele on M. Ward's Magic Trick (which sounds more joyous and fun with Zooey's added vocals) or playing keyboards on her own songs. It's sort of heartening and nice that she appears to be a musician at heart and I can't help but respect her more for it. But it's her voice that is the most surprisingly thing: bright and clear as a sunny day, it's much stronger than you'd imagine and called back for a second encore by an extremely enthusiastic crowd, Ward and Deschanel alone on stage play an absolutely mesmerising version of the old Screamin' Jay Hawkins track I Put A Spell On You with Zooey's voice taking centre stage and it's, well, incredible. There's no other word for it. I got chills as she belted out the final notes and it was easily the best moment of the night and an amazing closer.
Other times I've seen M.Ward I've come away amazed by his guitar playing but tonight, he stepped back and the show belonged to Zooey, and what a star she is. I almost don't want her to return to movies because in music she really is a joy.
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