You could be my heartbreaker

Summer Camp at Mercury Lounge - 03/02/2011

I fell in love with London duo Summer Camp this summer when I first laid ears on them.  I simultaneously fell in love with the girl in their video for “Round the Moon” (see below).  Uh-dor-a-ble.  Unfortunately, that footage is more than 40 years old, and cute little blondie is no longer young and innocent, but well into her fifties.  But I digress.

At the Mercury Lounge on Wednesday I had the pleasure of watching Jeremy Warmsley and Elizabeth Sankey perform the songs that have the uncanny ability to bring a dreamy look to my face, time and time again.  They immediately launched into the synth-driven ‘80s theme song, “Round the Moon,” in which Warmsley provided the lead vocals while switching between synth and guitar.  Without the distortion present in the EP version, Warmsley’s vocals were actually distinguishable, but still understated in comparison to the swelling chorus where the duo romantically declare to “dance all night/and hold each other close/’til the morning light.”  And all against the backdrop of the song’s music video--clips from the ‘70s movie "A Swedish Love Story" with the aforementioned precious blondie. 

During their short (less than an hour) but very sweet show, Summer Camp played most of their Young EP (Moshi Moshi).  They also threw in a few newbies, notably “Losing My Mind” in which Warmsley and Sankey trade their usual harmonizing duets for a catchy, clever, back and forth banter.

As I listened to the silky naration of a hazy, familiar house party in “Veronica Sawyer” and the smooth voice of a helpless heartbreak in “Ghost Train,” I wondered what it is about these songs that brings on the dreamy smile and nostalgic longing.  When I read an interview of Summer Camp, it all made sense.  One of the band members describes certain images from films, photos and music that have been captured to memory--images of kids going to prom or hanging out with friends in the summer or falling in love with someone that will never even realize he/she exists.  Summer Camp has tried and succeeded at creating musical memories that may have never happened to us, yet we feel some sort of connection to them.  As said by a member of the band, “we’re nostalgic for something we never actually experienced.”