Loney Dear @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, NYC - pics

words & photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

It's a confident musician who can go an entire concert and not play his/her most popular song. Emil Svanängen, aka Loney, Dear, managed to do just this at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Tuesday. As his set wore on and Svanängen played more material from his new record, Dear John (Polyvinyl), it seemed "I Am John", the ebullient single from 2007's Loney, Noir (Sub Pop), was a lock for the encore. But it never arrived. Perhaps it was disappointing that he didn't break down and play it, but its omission certainly didn't detract from a set that was, haunting without being heavy, and enjoyable without being campy. Svanängen entered the room to the sounds of fellow Swede El Perro Del Mar's "Inner Island" blasting from the PA, and he began in hushed tones with "I Was Only Going Out" from Dear John - his fragile, high-pitched voice straining through the verses before his backing band sprung to life with keyboards and drums and whistles. Audience members shouted requests and at one point someone shouted "Carrying A Stone" (from Loney, Noir.) A bit later, between songs, as the requests continued, Svanängen demurely quipped, "Someone requested 'Carrying A Stone' earlier... I didn't have the heart to tell her we already played it."

More pictures from Tuesday night's show below...