ZAYN, Los Angeles Power Disco
Date and Loc: Dec 8, O2 Edinburgh
Who: Zayn is Zayn from One Direction. He's appeared generally to not like being in One Direction. He is now four albums into a solo career - which he seems, at times, to have generally not liked that much either. There are signs that he's enjoying it slightly more now, which is why he's touring.
The question as to who LAPD are seems to be one you have to untangle. What appears to have happened is that a cult band called Cobra Man, who described their sound as 'L.A. Power Disco' and who were known for soundtracking skateboarding compilations, have broken up.
About a third of the band have pressed on, taking that LAPD tagline as their new moniker. The main guy from Cobra Man does not seem to be involved.
Why Am I here: I am here because Zayn solo is really underrated!
To break them down: Mind of Mine is a fantastically performed pop record, with beautiful production and vocals. I think it houses some of the best pop the 2010s, particularly 'It's You', 'Befour, 'Bordersz'. Icarus Falls was a catastrophic commercial flop but one I've never quite got my head around - it is a long album but a very sturdy, consistent one. Nobody Is Listening (which turned out to be aptly titled as it flopped) opens with a slightly dodgy rap but has otherwise aged very well. His latest is good too - a modest commercial comeback.
Across all these albums, there are only two songs (gates of hell, whatever track 1 on NIL is called) that I don't really rate. There's also been a pattern of quite sniffy reviews on release, only for the albums to get a bit more respect as time goes on.
Solo: Yes. I somewhat stood out. I'd say demographics were probably 85-90% female.
Was it good: Taking them in turn:
LAPD absolutely baffled me and prompted me to spend the bus ride home googling. As a programming fit for Zayn's music, just deeply strange. They're basically a *completely* straight-forward 80s AOR act. Like completely. Lyrics, pleather, hair, everything. Every note and aspect of production is 80s AOR. They sound like FM.
I had to piece it together after the gig: Basically, Cobra Man was an attempt to blend AOR with the lo-fo skater aesthetic. Listening to them on the ride home, they really reminded me of the band Haunt - who make straight-up heavy metal, very slightly on the glam side, but with a homespun, lo-fi kind of vibe.
I think something has been lost in the transition from Cobra Man to LAPD - any sense of edge or novelty. I think the modernisation of a very familiar sound has become more akin to recreation.
They're actually decent at it - it is a precise and detailed reconstruction, and the lead, i think someone called Sarah - has a very strong voice. If you were making a film, set in the 80s, about an AOR band, you'd want to cast these two.
It just feels very strange on the night. AOR was an intensely oversaturated niche, which has proven revival-proof even as every other trend ever has come in out of fashion. Closing my eyes during the performance - it felt like something you'd hear played over a montage of someone driving on a Vinegar Syndrome zero budget reissue of a shot-on-video 80s action film.
Opening for Zayn - who makes very earnest music - just feels strange. That they were at some point a skate-adjacent outfit made some sense of it, but I don't think that's quite what the band is anymore. But at the same time, whatever happened with Cobra Man is probably very fresh and maybe they've just not fully figured it out yet. As is - if nothing else - they'd be a perfect fit warming you up for an evening with John Corabi's dead daisies.
As for Zayn - four albums and 8+ years in the making, the tour is solid. He's a good singer - and frequently live actually pushes his vocal slightly further than the studio take. He has one of the best male voices in contemporary pop.
It's been an interesting ride. His albums have failed worse than you'd have thought possible in some respects - you'd think momentum alone would have compelled Icarus Falls to a higher chart peak than *77* in the UK - but the long and short of it is that he has a better body of work than any of his bandmates.
He has never toured as a solo artist before. You wouldn't have guessed. He is not a massive presence on stage, but he's not really trying to be. He has a bigger band than I was expecting (and all women, which is rare). The show is unfussy, very straight-forward, devoid of any theatricality whatsoever but tastefully presented.
It probably had a different vibe in London actually - the O2 Edinburgh is a kind of fascinating venue in some respects - it's almost exactly the same shape as the Barrowlands, probably the most beloved venue in Scotland, but is negative on vibes, rubbish acoustics. It is maybe the most basic, least romantic venue in central Scotland. And the bar is extortionate. But fundamentally I spent the evening standing about, listening to Zayn, and I moderately enjoyed myself.
I don't know what I'd have made of it if it'd been me hearing the songs for the first time - but there's something nice about finally hearing lives tunes I've been listening to consistently for the last eight years. And I respect too how just, on his own terms it is as a production. His fans are old enough now - just - to feel nostalgic. He is not interested in catering to it at all - the only nod to OD whatsoever is one circumstances pretty much forced him to take - a closing tribute to Liam, who is dead.
As someone who likes all his albums - my ideal setlist would be less heavy on the new cut and would dig deeper into Icarus in particular - I thought the two best moments of the night were quite deep cuts: 'Sweat', much warmer than the studio version, and 'Scripted'. The latter in particular is a beautiful song, beautifully performed.
'Pillowtalk' I think was the biggest departure, as an arrangement - given a more laid back, even gentle treatment. I think I miss the drama and sweep of the original cut - but it makes perhaps his least representative single feel of a piece with the more americana-adjacent sounds of his latest.
I'm curious as to what comes next - this'll mark either a belated start to a conventional solo career or it could be a farewell. I'm still hoping for the former.