I am Kloot, Barbican, London 19 February 2013

Twelve years after first seeing them, we now caught I Am Kloot in far grander surroundings in front of a decidedly bigger audience.

They opened with the now-classic From YourFavourite Sky. John thanked the long-term fans for comingto see the band over so many years, and introduced the extra musicians onstage, joining the band because the new material was ‘um… more sophisticated’.

John’s clever lyrics were all the easier to catch in a live setting with the great sound, and being sat down, at theBarbican. Shoeless, written for his daughter, was really lovely. John joked afterwards about how he’d listened to it the other day and realised how brilliant it was.

Same Deep Water As Me was really wonderful. Some Better Day was introduced at the newsingle, and the trumpet lines on it were great in a live setting, the song hasa really great Beatles-y sound.

When John was getting read to sing two songs alone on the stage he explained how his bandmates initially suggested hestart doing a couple of songs on his own in the middle of sets, which happened to be almost exactly the time the smoking ban came into force in England.

The rest of the band then rejoined him for a run of really great songs, including a great Fingerprints, with a really big, rounded sound and a strong Lately, before a roof-raising version of Proof,which received a standing ovation. The band then bowed, but didn’t leave thestage before a brief encore featuring Sand and Glue.

It was a really excellent set – in equalparts funny, touching, moving, and really affecting.

Jessica Hoop, Barbican, 19 February 2013

Jessica played an interesting and engagingset. After opening with an arresting ‘DNR’, shesang a song about teaching her mother to smoke pot when suffering cancer, whichhad an interesting, and bass-heavy, arrangement with cross-cutting backingvocals.

She also told a story about meeting a manon a beach whom she tried to encourage to swim in sea, but he said he couldn’tbecause he was born with his heart outside his ribcage - it literally was andJesssica felt it. She then wondered what his name was, and whether he was stillalive.

Her vocals brought to mind Suzanne Vega orEdie Bricknell. The whole sound she and the band made was not something anyoneBritish could do convincingly. So, even though she now lives in Manchester,she’s certainly not lost her US touch.