New York City’s very own The Lemon Twigs came over from the States to treat the people of Nottingham to some whimsical, jangly goodness. We went to Rescue Rooms to catch the band on the first date of their UK tour...
Supporting for The Lemon Twigs’ trip across the pond is a band new to me - The Stones. There was something Violent Femmes-y about them which I really enjoyed. You definitely couldn't accuse the band of not bringing the energy to their performance, with jumping around and proper rock-n-roll rhythms. They perfectly set up the tone for the evening with nostalgia-tinged bangers. The band don't have a huge digital footprint, but these elusive creatures may well be ones to seek out and get on your radar.
Rocking up a fashionable 28 minutes late (come on fellas, some of us have last trains home to catch!), The Lemon Twigs took to the stage, all smiles. The band opened their set with My Golden Years, a delicious, sunshine-bright track reminiscent of The Beach Boys and 60s power pop. The whole room started swaying along, engrossed in the lush harmonies and jangly guitars. The harmonies only got fuller as the crowd joined in for I’ve Got a Broken Heart - a firm fan favourite. It perfectly bottles nostalgia for a time I was never part of, transporting me to the psychedelic sounds of the sixties.
The set remained largely within their post-Covid catalogue, with the exception of The One from their incredibly acclaimed 2020 album Songs For The General Public, which was received with plenty of movement, despite the fact punters were packed in like sardines. While it certainly was a tight squeeze at the venue, this didn't seem to detract from anybody's enjoyment at all.
One particular stand out was In My Head - a track with simply beautiful cosy, floating melodies and enough ‘la la la’-ing to shake a stick at. It's such a lovely bright sounding song, with some more introspective lyrics about perception and being perceived. Some of the band’s beautiful crescendo harmonies were wonderfully theatrical and just so incredibly pleasing sonically.
It was fascinating to see the band swap between different instruments throughout, demonstrating such awe inspiring prowess at everything they touched. The multi-instrumentalist D’Addario brothers have harnessed a special kind of musical magic with everything they do!
At one point, they decided to share what they'd been up to on his adventure to Nottingham. After checking with the rest of the band, they confirmed they'd all been to Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem for pint and ‘perfectly alright food’, debating the age of the framing of the building. Of course, a natural tourist point for anybody visiting Robin Hood’s city.
Before turning in for the night, we were treated to an acoustic encore from Brian D’Addario. The room fell silent as Brian plucked out the opening strings of Joy. After a small mishap, Brian laughed along and restarted the song, and the crowd listened just as intently as before, completely captured by his incredible voice and storytelling.
He then went on to offer another transportative, acoustic performance of Corner of My Eye (a highly romantic, serene track) before closing out proceedings with How Can I Love Her More?, joined once more by the rest of the band.
While The Beatles and Beach Boys comparisons are easy to make and are obviously there, the band at no point feel dated or stale - their technical mastery and tight composition shines both on and off record. If you're someone who believes you were born in the wrong era though musically, here's a band in the modern world that are managing to craft something just as good as way back when.
The Lemon Twigs performed at Rescue Rooms on 18th May 2026.
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