Review: Tegan And Sara

Identical Twins, Canadian born Tegan and Sara have been performing live now for over 20 years. It was interesting to see that their audience crosses a very wide age range. Downstairs the fans are at least 30 years younger than those sat upstairs. Their last album Love You To Death, released last summer saw the duo embrace their pop sensibilities even more. The melodic tracks on the album sound a little like The Shires, without the country influence.

Their 3 piece band and the girls themselves are mostly dressed in white; it brings to mind The Human League and their stage set, which is not surprising as the duo's influences do touch on Sheffield's finest, alongside hints of other 80's bands such as Depeche Mode, think more Master and Servant rather than I Just Can't Get Enough.

They may be 35 years old but as they chat excitedly to the audience between songs you would think they were two teenagers: it was like having your best friend up on stage. They mention everything from Dating Apps to recent political events '"We were here in the UK when Brexit was announced and in Washington too when the new President was known" they share.

The first half of the night concentrates mostly on their back catalogue; they seem to want to perform their latest tracks later on in the gig. They really needed a producer to hone their sound and in Greg Kurstin (Adele, Sia, Ellie Goulding) they have found a producer who takes them up to a new level. Boyfriend would sound equally at home on either Radio 1 or Radio 2. Why it was not a big hit in this country is a mystery, the lyric on the track says "I don't want to be your secret anymore" which is quite apt when the duo should be wider known.

They have big ballads too such as 100x, which they perform towards the end of the night, leaving you thinking that the duo are destined to play bigger venues next time they visit the UK.

They return to the stage to perform Stop Desire, another track off the new album. By this time they are now in their stride. They might be one of Canada's best kept secrets but not for much longer.