A British audience can sometimes be a fickle one to break into. While many British acts talk of the difficulty in making the jump stateside, the leap in the opposite direction can be just as challenging. From a solely European perspective, however, few know the difficulties of gaining mainstream exposure in the UK better than Livingston. Ahead of the release of upcoming album Animal, the London-born, Berlin- based band have unleashed lead single ‘Human’, a hard-hitting sample of their ever-powerful sound. It’s the quartet’s ability to transition seamlessly from more of a slow burn into a pounding indie rock blaze of glory that makes them such a commodity right now. And after three records and years of work, it’s time to see if the four-piece can finally smash through the glass ceiling that looms above them.
‘Human’ offers a kind of anthemic feel that likens back to that time that Chris Cornell and James Bond collided, and Livingston vocalist Beukes Willemse certainly has that same kick to his voice that took the Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman to household name status amongst rock fans. It’s a gradual build that takes ‘Human’ to its rapturous later stages, with Jakob Nebel’s driving contributions on percussion a large part of what sees the track transform. This is a side to Livingston that has been coming together for what feel’s like the band’s entire lifespan; it’s little more in reality than another step in the quartet’s evolution but in a game of endurance, this latest development certainly has them sitting head and shoulders above the survival line. 2012 release Fire To Fire provided similar tastes of the capabilities the four members possess, with ‘Beautiful’ boasting a similar explosion of sound. ‘Set Fire To Fire’ precedes it with a soaring dose of arena-ready rock, yet another flavour for Livingston to take on and yet another trade for an apparent jack of them all. Reluctant to choose whether they want to take after U2, The Killers or Placebo, the quartet have instead opted to target the entire spectrum of their abilities, setting themselves up in the process as an fantastic all-round outfit, breaking out of any potential mould and free to take on the world in their own right.
The talent on offer with this particular four-piece has been clear to some since the very beginning, and looking back it’s hard to dispute such a mindset. Debut album Sign Language is on the money from the word ‘Go’, with its opening track acting as the strongest possible statement of Livingston’s intention to dominate the radio waves on a global level. ‘Disease’ and ‘One Good Reason’ belt out infectious rhythms that are near impossible not to get caught up in, jewels in the crown of an album that becomes even more eye-raising when you realise that it barely scratches the surface of what Livingston can do. ‘Soulskin’ wraps up Fire To Fire in a more withheld way than might be expected, with the track owing its strength to the emotion of both the vocals and instrumentals. In the same way as ‘No More Promises’ earlier on the record, it’s a different message that the Willemse & Co. aim to send as the album closes out. ‘Sink Or Swim’ provides the best of both worlds, and by the time Fire To Fire is over there’s little to do but wait with bated breath for Animal to land as you go back and listen to it all over again.
Livingston have the sound and vision of a stadium-level act, and the wait for them to break out has been far too long to be fair to their ability and potential. With Animal‘s release, you would hope that the quartet will slip through the net no more, and that 2014 can finally be their year. It’s all what ifs and maybes at this point, but there is one overarching certainty, and that’s the fact that by this point, a jump up in exposure is the least that the four-piece deserve.
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