So as June draws to its close so does an epic month of gigs. Eight gigs in twenty one days and every one a winner. If Covid has done nothing else it has made both artists and the audience really appreciate even more the live music experience. There seems a greater connection and both band and fans have set the joy levels to maximum. Tonight was no exception.
There are times when this old body starts to creak and tonight was one of those occasions with probably the closest I am going to get to a rave. Spending two hours dancing away in this hot sweating mass of people was certainly a challenge at times and I left the venue dripping wet with even my sweat sweating. But you know what I loved it and wouldn’t have missed this for anything.
Been a bucket list band for a long time and after missing their Glasto set due to the challenges of navigating the mud after four days of trekking through it, this show was a must see.
It’s an eight piece band tonight but in terms of what each member plays it’s very fluid and though each member has their key instrument most of them also seem to have a drum of some kind but such is the interchange between songs they are all clearly multi-talented on whatever instrument station they are stood behind. The only constant is ironically the drummer who stays firmly behind his kit.
LCD Soundsystem celebrate twenty years in the business and their first show was in London so it’s nice they are hosting a six night residency here to celebrate. James Murphy, bandleader and man of my own vintage takes to the stage dressed in plain white tee and jeans, to a rapturous reception.
And we’re off, jump starting into ‘Get Innocuous’, first track from their Sophomore album ‘Sound of Silver’ and it’s from this album that a large section of the set is drawn. It’s then a relentless cacophony of dance music for two hours. But it’s more than that, its rock, its pop but its most definitely dance. There is, of course, being a New York band some Talking Heads influences and this is most true on one of my favourites ‘Tribulations’. Whilst of course keyboards feature heavily in every song each instrument is given enough room in the mix to shine especially the guitarist.
There are no throwaway three minute pop songs, every track builds and builds into a crashing crescendo and the crowd lap it up and pretty much the whole of the stalls danced the night away.
Tricky to pick a highlight. Aside from my personal favourite above, classics like ‘Daft Punk’, ‘New York’ and ‘All my friends’ obviously raise the biggest cheer and reactions.
It’s a hot one though with even the walls of the Academy sweating and I should probably apologise to anyone sat near me on the tube and train on the way home as the sight of a hot sweaty middle aged man is not pretty.
A totally different gig to Jack White, who rocked like the proverbial, on Monday but equally as enjoyable and even this show has a great rock element behind the electronica.
A quieter July ahead so a chance to recharge the concert batteries before the madness starts again in the last five months of the year
Keep on electronic rockin’ y’all.