Herman Dune, gig review: 'Searing solos and a nostalgic glow'

Lexington, London

Herman Dune performs some 'searing solos' (Rex Features)

In the clamour to venerate Lou Reed after he passed away last October, one quiet voice could not hope to be heard.

So tonight, amid a week usually reserved for live detox, this Gallic duo pay their respects with one self-penned tribute and a selection of covers.

For their opening number, the singer known as David-Ivar Herman Dune sweetly testifies that he learnt his guitar chops from the irascible New Yorker.

An unlikely admission, you may think, from one half of a twee pair long a mainstay of indie-pop stable Fortuna Pop!'s Winter Sprinter mini-festival, best known for persuading Mad Men's Jon Hamm to interact with a cute puppet in a promo. Yet the Big Apple-via-Paris combo's devotion to Reed makes sense as their set unfolds.

David-Ivar's own deadpan delivery fits well with the veteran star's conversational lyrics, especially when he applies a light touch to Reed's 'Stephanie Says'.

Elsewhere, the pair's bare arrangements highlight the nostalgic glow of 'I Remember You'.

The frontman also brings more aggression, most obviously through some searing solos, though fails to properly gel with drummer Neman Herman Dune until they finally interact on the Latino march of their own 'My Home Is Nowhere Without You'.