Jens Lekman in a joyous mood

I went and saw Jens Lekman at the Scala in Kings Cross (London) last night.

Readers of this blog will know that I’m a huge fan of the guy. And although I’ve interviewed him before I’ve never seen him live.

The gig was sold out, which is always a good sign. And although the Scala looked huge from Pentonville Road it was surprisingly intimate inside. A kind of inverse tardis effect.

Sometimes it’s just Jens and a guitar, but last night he had his all-female backing band in tow. And bizarrely they all wore a silver key around their neck. So did Jens though so I’m not sure what it was supposed to signify.

Anyway, the good news was that Jens was in what I would call a ‘joyous’ mood. The horn section (Frida and Kristen) gave the set a real summery vibe. Jens’ banter between songs was funny. And the crowd were appreciative. Not even an equipment malfunction during Postcard From Nina could dampen the mood.

Before I sign off I’ve got to tell you about the surreal smoking room tat the Scala. Basically,they’ve enclosed the balcony in glass and smokers congregate here, having a ciggy and watching the band from behind a wall of plate glass. It reminded me of those isolation rooms in movies, usually in underground bunkers, where government scientists put alien beings or infected humans to observe them in safety.

Of course, in the movies the alien or sick person always smash their way out and cause all kinds of chaos. Luckily for Jens, the smokers of London were much better behaved.