Live music never ceases to surprise: I was certain, based on the four previous Alt-J shows I’ve enjoyed in the past year that this evening would be unforgettable. Less than a month ago, they were one of my highlights of an amazing Coachella Festival, whilst their RNCM date in Manchester in September was one of my favourites of the year. Whilst Academy 1 is a much larger venue, I arrived early enough to secure a front centre position, so had an excellent view of the band. In fact visually, this was Alt-J’s best yet, enhanced by beautiful, changing coloured lighting and the use of translucent backdrops with a design inspired by their album cover. The main issue was the sound: the bass was boomy, lacked detail and overwhelmed the detail in the midrange. It can be an affliction of this venue, but should be have mitigated by the sound engineer. An Awesome Wave is beautifully produced, revealing the subtle, intricate nature of the music, which was sadly obscured here.
Of course, Alt-J has had an amazing year, winning the
Mercury Prize in the UK and apparently the hearts of quite a few
American music fans. This popularity has surprised some: they are a cerebral act,
employing unusual lyrics, phrasing and singing. Actually this quirkiness is at
the heart of their appeal: in particular Joe Newman’s nasal, whining voice
differentiates Alt-J enough from the mainstream to give indie appeal. Their music is an eclectic mix of styles, including electro pop, math dubstep, psychedelic
folk and rock. The mix of genres gives variety between
songs: for example Something Good is dreamy, whereas Fitzpleasure is
heavyweight. They played for an hour, adding Buffalo from their recent iTunes
session and the covers Slow Dre and College’s A Real Hero, used on the
soundtrack to Drive. This preceded the final encore Taro, their greatest song,
which has a symphonic sweep.
I read many positive comments about this show on Twitter,
and those seeing Alt-J for the first time would surely have been impressed by
the music. The young audience was wonderfully enthusiastic,
singing along to many songs, particularly Breezeblocks, giving the band a rapturous
reception. Yet, I’m not sure that Alt-J fully reciprocated. As I was walking
out, I overheard an audience member saying: ‘of course the songs are great, but
they didn’t add much live’. Their music is more than interesting enough to stand alone, but the band appeared tired: midway through a UK tour, I fear they're pushing themselves too hard. The transition to larger venues has come quickly, and the lighting set-up didn't compensate for the static stagecraft. The false start to Breezeblocks was just a slip, but the nuances of interpretation at Coachella four weeks ago, which gave an almost visionary experience, was absent.
As with Chvrches recently, I once again find myself at odds with the consensus view. Perhaps I'd been influenced by listening to an outstanding new album by The National for the first time earlier that day, which I already know will be a strong contender for my album of 2013. Another factor in my perception was the memory of an understandingly engaging Phosphorescent gig two days earlier. I will be seeing Alt-J again in August at Reading Festival, and I'm hoping by then they'll have had chance to refresh their creative spirit. They were wise enough not to rush their first album's release, taking give years since their formation in 2007, so they should recognise the danger of burning themselves out with their touring schedule. Alt-J also needs to realise that the sound is the single most important factor in a gig's success. Yes, this was a fine gig, but it's impossible to forget really inspired occasions created by Alt-J and others in the recent past.
Set List
- Intro
- Interlude I
- Tessellate
- Something Good
- Buffalo
- Dissolve Me
- Fitzpleasure
- Slow Dre
- Matilda
- Interlude II
- Bloodflood
- MS
- Breezeblocks
- Hand-Made
- Real Hero
- Taro
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