For Tennyson, ordinary sounds become music-sampling gems. On Thursday, November 11th, Canadian brother-sister electronic duo Tennyson played a live set at DC9 Nightclub. For 20-year-old vocalist and producer Luke Pretty and 18-year-old drummer Tess Pretty, this marked the second-to-last show of their fall US tour. While their sound can be compared to Ryan Hemsworth and Flying Lotus, Tennyson doesn’t fit into any of these boxes. Performing live, they combine chirpy, unconventional samples with classical jazz elements to give audiences a chance to take solace in the sounds of everyday life.
Tennyson started off the night with “All Yours,” which features a prolonged, instrumental intro. The track then jumps right into the whimsical bliss of Tennyson’s production that is filled with signature quirky synths and samples that make up the core of their music. From sneezes to doorbells, yawns, the sipping of a straw, and Toad from Super Mario, the samples feel silly, random, and even odd at first. But at the same time, they add a signature, innocent character to Tennyson’s compositions, even in more romantic, downtempo songs like “You’re Cute.” “Slipperz,” a nostalgic, endearing take on Destiny Child’s 2004 hit “Cater 2 U,” highlighted Tennyson’s ability to turn sentimental into playful. Lovely light clinks and clanks were sprinkled with glitchy, toy box-like beats and choppy, high-pitched vocals.
While Tennyson’s samples may seem frivolous, they also give a sense of genuine humanity to the music. The second track, “7:00 AM,” featured the beeps of an alarm and real sounds of snoring. Their smooth remix of Daughter’s “Smother” honed in on the calm of nature with the sounds of birds chirping and water flowing while also incorporating the meows of a cat and squeaks of a bedspring. With such lush production, Tennyson uses sampling to make the audience rethink and appreciate familiar, run-of-the-mill sounds. While their music is a euphoric, sonic mishmash of sounds, Tennyson’s use of silence and pauses in a live setting effectively created a sense of space and phrasing in each track.
The complexity of the instrumentation spoke to the musical talent of Luke and Tess. It was overwhelming to watch Luke tirelessly multitask, with his right hand improvising melodies on the keyboard and his left working nimbly on the MIDI controller to trigger various samples and sound bites. On the other side of the stage, Tess effortlessly played complex, syncopated rhythms on the electric drum kit. They glanced at each other for musical cues but also to share in their musical bliss with irrepressible smiles.
While the brother-sister dynamic was apparent and magical, Luke stood out as the center of the show. His dance moves and footwork – which were just as enjoyable as the music itself – mimicked the music with quick, unpredictable, and sprightly energy. He shuffled, got on his tiptoes, and continued to dance even with sweat dripping down his forehead. With such a contagious energy, the crowd swayed a little more emphatically, and their head nods turned into head bangs. Luke’s classical jazz background was indicative in the nimble keyboard work required in songs like “All Yours” and “You’re Cute.”
Luke also sang on a number of the songs – “Too Long,” “Fault Line,” “Beautiful World,” and “Tomato Land.” His vocals were strong yet boyish, which took away slightly from the magic of the unfiltered nature of their instrumental production. With “Fault Line,” for example, his vocals competed with the instrumentation. While Tess harmonized with Luke on “Beautiful World,” it would have been nice to hear Tess’ vocals showcased more throughout the set.
Tennyson ended with their most popular “Lay-by,” a track with over 2.1 million streams on Spotify. The track is idyllic and contemplative, starting off with an airy sample of a ringing car door and then building into Tennyson’s signature samples of laughs, clinks, and dings. After a period of sonic chaos, the performance died back down to the ringing car door. Like in the romantic, liquid production of “With You,” it was in these quieter moments that Tennyson called attention to their refined sound and versatility.
The modest, low-ceiling venue, combined with the small crowd created a sense of intimacy. The lines of neon lights behind Tennyson changed color in sync with the beat, creating a bright, visually stunning panel effect. The crowd, made up of teens and 20-something-year-olds wearing denim jackets and baseball caps, kept their smartphone use to a minimum. After the audience relentlessly chanted, “One more song!” following “Lay-by,” Luke and Tess smiled humbly and happily delivered. Their choice for an encore was the groovy, bossa nova-influenced “Tomato Land,” and they prompted the crowd to sing along, which they fervently did.
For the most part, Tennyson let the music speak for itself, not caking their performance with cheesy vocal interludes or inspirational speeches, just a number of sincere “thank-yous” – a testament to the fact that they’re still young and refreshingly unjaded. Like their music, Tennyson’s stage presence was full of charm and youthful zest, and, at the same time, elegance and poise. When Tennyson performs live, it’s hard not to recognize their raw, bright-eyed creativity.
Listen to the setlist on Spotify here.
Tennyson: Shows / SoundCloud / Spotify / Bandcamp