Photo Review: Little Dragon & Unknown Mortal Orchestra at Roseland Theater, 4/10

Yukimi Nagano of Little Dragon at Roseland Theater, April 10.
By MATTHEW SINGER

Little Dragon is one of the most well put-together live bands out there, and the Swedish electro-soul quartet proved it last Thursday night at Roseland Theater. Overcoming a sound system that tragically consumed opener Unknown Mortal Orchestra whole, the band kicked off the 2014 Soul'd Out Music Festival with set of meticulously arranged, precisely played futurist R&B, drawn primarily from its 2011 breakthrough, Ritual Union, and upcoming fourth album, Nabuma Rubberband. Though its slower, dreamier material seemed to make the sold-out crowd anxious—or at least really, really chatty—the bewitching magnetism of singer Yukimi Nagano and intervening bouts of floor-rumbling synth-bass kept those in the audience who for some reason came expecting "a ton of sick drops" from trailing off completely.

That's what it sounded like. Here's what it looked like.

All photos by Emma Browne.

UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA:

LITTLE DRAGON:

WWeek 2015

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.