February Highlights

First up at den Atelier on February the 2nd is Swedish singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson aka The Tallest Man On Earth. Matsson wears his folk influences on his sleeve, with song structures similar to those of Nick Drake and a vocal delivery reminiscent of Bob Dylan. He’ll be joined by a band on this tour for the first time and seeing as though he is well known for his charismatic stage persona on his own, the band will surely add extra power dimension to the show.

Austria’s electro duo Mieux will be taking to the Rotondes stage on the 5th of February. Constantly challenging the common understanding of an electronic live-set, Mieux use Glockenspiel, samplers and synthesizers to expand and compress what they’ve been producing in the studio. Having Gilles Peterson as an avid supporter should be enough of a hint that these guys are ones to keep an eye on.

From releasing their debut album to playing Hamburg’s Reeperbahn Festival as well as support slots with Villagers and Starsailor, 2015 was a busy year for one of Luxembourg’s favourite indie folk bands Seed To Tree. At Rotondes on February 6th they’ll premiere the music video for their second single ”Until It Gets Better” followed by a full concert. If you’re keen to see one of the best young Luxembourg bands, then look no further.

February the 9th sees Trip Hop stalwarts Massive Attack come to Rockhal. Along with Portishead and Tricky, Massive Attack brought the Bristol underground trip hop scene to the mainstream charts in the 90s. With albums such as ”Blue Lines” & ”Mezzanine” they created some of the most hauntingly beautiful records of that period. They’ll also be supported by Scottish Hip Hop trio Young Fathers, who won the 2014 Mercury Music Prize and are renowned for the fierce live performances.

Like most bands Novella formed a friendship through their shared love for music, in this case it was bands such as Black Sabbath, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Pale Saints. After a few years of working on their own sound they finally found their niche, they are now capable of welding woozy, cosmic psychedelia to sustained squalls of flanged-out, far-out dream pop. Novella’s debut album, Land, is a controlled blast of mainlined electricity, a tempest of relentless groove and crystalline vocals that is at once the vicious edge and the calm eye of the storm. Like the sound of that then head out to de Gudde Wëllen on the 23rd of February.

Other notable gigs include:

3/2 – Pega Monstro (Rock) @ de Gudde Wëllen
5/2 – Knut Reiersrud Band (Blues) @ Philharmonie
6/2 – Guizmo (Hip Hop) @ Kulturfabrik
12/2 – The Blind Shake (Surf-Punk) @ Rotondes
14/2 – Caravan Palace (Electro Swing) @ den Atelier
15/2 – Hurts (Synth-pop) @ den Atelier
15/2 – Wynton Marsalis (Jazz) @ Philharmonie
22/2 – King Dude (Dark Americana) @ Rotondes
24/2 – Odd Couple (Garage rock) @ de Gudde Wëllen

Method Man & Redman – A lesson in old-school hip hop

It’s been 16 years since Method Man & Redman released their debut platinum selling album “Blackout!” and in all that time they hadn’t once brought their show to Luxembourg, well all that changed last night as Rockhal was given a lesson in old-school hip hop.

The two east coast rappers had success of their own before teaming up as a duo. Method is best known for his role in Wu-Tang Clan and Red had already carved out a successful career of his own through Def Jam Recordings. The duo also went on to star in their cult classic stoner film ”How High” in 2001 before doing just one more album together ”Blackout! 2” in 2009.

As I arrived at Rockhal it was clear it would be no ordinary evening. The club was packed full of people watching a skate contest organised by Olliewood skate shop and the lobby had scratch workshops and an interactive video installation. It made for a much more entertaining wander about before the show started.

When the music did begin it was up to the soulful hip hop sounds of Charles X to warm up the crowd. If Michael Jackson was a child of the 90s this is how he would have sounded. He even threw in a few Jackson spins and crotch grabs for good measure. All this whilst confessing ”I’m as high as a” (you can add your own expletives). I suppose that kind of explained the grin from cheek to cheek and the laughing. He also went on to say how he was a long way from home and he misses his mum, got to admit I was not expecting that stage chat last night.

As the anticipation grew so did the smoke and it wasn’t just coming from the stage. The security had their work cut out as the crowd resembled an industrial landscape at times with smoke rising all over, as everyone got ready to greet the hip hop legends.

Then it was time, what some folk had waited years to see, Method Man & Redman together in Luxembourg.

The duo were like a comedy double act, bouncing off each other lyrically and physically, conducting the crowd to cheer and roar throughout. It was also apparent this wasn’t going to just be the two albums they’ve done together but a delve into both their back catalogues from “Pick It Up”, “How High” to “All I Need” as well as some Wu-Tang Clan and the Ol’ Dirty Bastard classic “Shimmy Shimmy Ya”.

Seeing as much of the crowd had Wu Tang t shirts on, this was less about just Method Man & Redman but about a celebration of everything old-school hip hop, from the two scratch DJs to the minimal stage set up, there was none of the glitz and glamour of modern day hip hop stars.

They went on to call for respect for all the true hip hop artist that come to Luxembourg and to support the true form of the music, not the crap played on the radio, which of course got a loud cheer.

You can’t fake the energy and excitement that exuded from them all night, it truly felt like two old friends just enjoying themselves from start to finish. And now with “How High 2” & “Blackout! 3” rumoured to be on the way, it’s good to see these two will be putting on more shows like this for years to come. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take so long for them to return.

29/01/16 – Rockhal

Hozier – Took us to the Rockhal

It’s quite a feat for a musician with just one album to their name to bypass many of the smaller venues and go straight to playing in front of a couple of thousand at the Rockhal. But that’s exactly what Hozier did last night on his first visit to Luxembourg.

It’s also something you can do when you’ve experienced the unimagined success of a debut single such as “Take Me To Church”. Hozier’s slow burning super hit back in 2013 seemed to seep into the public psyche over the next couple of years and has given him a platform few artists could possibly imagine.

One act who is looking to emulate such a feat is English singer-songwriter Rhodes who seems to have supported everyone of note over the last couple of years from George Ezra and London Grammar to Sam Smith. As he opened the evening he oozed the confidence and swagger of a man who has played to many big crowds already. His powerful vocals and sharp guitar tones blended in nicely with his melancholic sound. I’m sure his name will appear more prominently soon enough.

After two years of solid touring Hozier was still looking and sounding on top form, there was no sign of fatigue in his vocals or charisma as his self-effecting persona came across charming throughout the night, with him laughing and chatting away to the crowd on many occasions.

With a 6 piece band behind him it was evident this was not going to be a stripped back blues affair. Playing such large venues has afforded him the luxury to build a grander sound and with the addition of backing singers it only heightened the production of the evening. It was less blues troubadour and more blues pop star.

With the full band there was an extra urgency to the tracks, which took “Arsonist’s lullaby” and “Sedated” into the realm of gospel anthems with the soaring harmonies. The only issue was it became all too polished at points. This is where the juxtaposition of trying to marry his blues roots and his mainstream pop appeal came into affect.

He seemed to be at his best on “To Be Alone” & “Work Song” when the band took a step back and let Hozier with his fingerpicking blues guitar take centre stage. There were even moments of just Hozier, like on “Work Song”. Alana Henderson his cellist joined him on vocals for “In A Week” which produced the tenderest moment of the night with stunning vocal harmonies between the pair. This was followed by cries from the crowd that Hozier should marry his counterpart to the amusement and embarrassment of them both.

However when the band can come back and deliver with the power they did on “Take Me To Church” you can understand the temptation to keep them on every track. It’s a triumph of a song on every level and the epic scale to their sound even managed to make the Rockhal feel like intimate surroundings.

Where Hozier will go with the notorious difficult second album will be interesting, but there was no inkling on last nights show, not even a new song. So either he’s yet to write new tracks or he’s just keeping it all very under wraps, whatever the direction he decides to go down it looks like his devoted congregation will follow.

21/01/16 Rockhal

Imagine Dragons – Still riding high on top of the world

With their yearlong tour in its final leg, Imagine Dragons finally brought their “Smoke + Mirrors” show to the Rockhal on Thursday night.

It’s been just under 3 years since they crept up from nowhere and took control of the airwaves across the globe with their smash hit single “Radioactive”. It became the longest charting single in US history, staying in the top 100 for a staggering 87 weeks. They were also the second most streamed group in the world in 2014 behind only Coldplay, which isn’t bad going for a band who initially plied their trade doing covers in Vegas casino lounges only a few years ago.

Fist up last night was Sunset Sons, a British/ Australian band who found themselves on BBC’s Sound of 2015 longlist last year. Their surfer looks met nicely with their keyboard driven melodic songs, which wouldn’t sound to out of place on a later Kings of Leon album. This support tour is a huge break for a band like them and they look to be taking it with both hands. They look like a band aiming to be filling arenas on their own sometime soon. They held a stage presence and performance that didn’t look out of place and even managed to get the crowd clapping along by the end of their set.

By the time Imagine Dragons took to the stage the anticipation was palpable, and it didn’t take long for the energy to transmit from crowd to stage and back, as they kicked off the evening with their dance rock single “Shots” off their latest album “Smoke + Mirrors”.

The whole evening was awash with everything you’d expect from an arena filling band, the giant spectacle of blinding lights, large screens either side of the stage and their very own runway into the crowd. Lead singer Dan Reynolds took advantage of this runway from the start and got up close with the crowd all night.

There is no denying the sound the band has cultivated fits perfectly with the Rockhal surrounding. With their vast sweeping choruses and bellowing synths they contain lots of aspects of their native Vegas colleagues The Killers and bands such as Coldplay. They managed to blend what is essentially a rock band but with touches of electro and synths and pull it into mainstream pop appeal.

There was even time for a few surprising covers from Alphavill’s “Forever Young” which got a big cheer from the older section of the crowd, to a stripped back version of Radiohead’s “Creep” and Blur’s “Song 2” which of course got the crowd jumping around.

“Polaroid” provided the band the perfect opportunity for a sing off between the two halves of the crowd, all of whom seemed happy to participate. This was where Reynolds charisma came to the fore as he had the audience in the palm of his hand singing along.

Their inner rock band was prevalent throughout, always itching to break free. Daniel Sermon on guitar got his few minutes of uninterrupted guitar solo before launching into their riff heavy “I’m So Sorry”. Daniel Platzman was not going home without a solo of his own on the drums later too.

However it’s the pop anthems of “Demons” and “Radioactive” which put this band on the map and has allowed them the opportunity to take this show to thousands each night. There is no denying they struck gold with the formula of mainstream pop to rock styled lyrics and delivery.

Like most overnight success stories there have been years of hard work to get them to that point and all that experience was evident on last night’s performance as they worked the crowd from start to finish. As the night closed with “The Fall” and confetti fluttered down from the roof, they can be happy with the fact that they sent another arena full of thousands home happy once more.

14/01/16 @ Rockhal

http://www.wort.lu/en/culture/patrick-cameron-music-critic-patrick-s-concert-news-reviews-55ae487e0c88b46a8ce5cf52

January highlights

The whole of January can sometimes feel like one long Monday, you’ve had plenty of parties over Christmas and Hogmanay, then it’s back to real life and work.

Well this January there are some nights you’ll want to get out of that hideous but comfy onesie someone thought to buy you and enjoy some good music.

Imagine Dragons came from nowhere and dominated 2013 with their worldwide smash hit “Radioactive”, which won a Grammy award as well as millions of fans across the globe. Their blend of sprawling hook-laden pop-rock with the odd dose of dubstep has created an enviable list of hit songs which they will unleash at Rockhal on January 14.

From one smash hit artist of 2013 to another, Hozier’s song “Take Me To Church” is one of the few hits after hearing on heavy rotation on the radio still manages to stay fresh. He’ll be back in the studio in early 2016 so catch him at Rockhal on January 21 to see him tour his debut album one last time, I’m sure he’ll be trying out some new material on the audience by then too.

January 22nd sees Chicago native Jimmy Whispers bring his indie pop to de Gudde Wëllen. If you like your lo-fi Mac DeMarco sound this this one will be right up your street.

Luxembourg’s own classical pianist Cathy Krier has been making waves for some time now but was recently chosen by the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) as the “Rising Star” for season 2015/16. This will see her perform in Europe’s most important concert halls and play, among others, a piece written especially for her by the renowned German composer Wolfgang Rihm. Her home show will be at the Philharmonie on January 26.

Hip Hop duo Method Man & Redman have been rap battling together since the mid 90s. Method Man is better known for his work with Wu-Tang Clan but together they have worked with the biggest names in hip hop. Having worked together on and off for almost 20 years they have only released two albums, that is until next year, when they’ll release “Blackout! 3”. This will be the first time the duo will have ever have played Luxembourg, so get along to Rockhal on January 29 to catch them before it takes another 20 years to get them back.

Irish Singer-songwriter Gavin James rescheduled Rotondes show has been moved to January 30. The singer has enjoyed a whirlwind 2015 having supported the likes of Sam Smith, James Blunt and Lianne La Havas, who herself will be coming to Luxembourg soon. With comparisons to Ben Howard and Ed Sheeran he has a lot of pressure on his shoulders but he seems to be taking it all in his stride. Could 2016 be the year that catapults James to new heights. Well it might be the last time you will get to see him at such an intimate venue.

Other notable gigs include:

16/1 – Tuys (Indie)@ de Gudde Wëllen
24/1 – Donots (Punk rock) @ den Atelier
28/1 – Stefanie Heinzmann (Pop) @ Rockhal

http://www.wort.lu/en/culture/new-year-new-gigs-luxembourg-gigs-not-to-be-missed-this-january-5684f7640da165c55dc50670

Benjamin Clementine – A magical evening with a true original

For the time being Benjamin Clementine will be known as, Mercury Music Prize winner Benjamin Clementine. As he took to the stage of the Rockhal in a very unassuming manner on Tuesday night, it soon became apparent that he will outgrow that tag very quickly.

Having recently won one of Britain’s most credible music awards for his debut album “At Least For Now”, Clementine will have this accolade banded around his name for the foreseeable future but I’ll be astonished if this award goes on to define him. His talent was there to hear on the record but he is also able to back it up live, where he is carving out quite a formidable reputation.

Clementine came out like the ragtag troubadour, donning a long grey coat with no top underneath and no shoes. He walked into the solitary spotlight shining on a bar stool in front of the piano and with nothing but a slight nod to the crowd he perched on the stool before launching into “Gone”, his voice bellowed through the Rockhal brining a complete hush of silence to the audience.

When he did address the crowd he was like a different person to the one who just knocked you back with his powerful vocals. A shy exposed character was revealed, which explains much of his lyrics.

Here is a young man who has experienced a lot, from having an awkward childhood with few friends, to falling out with his family and leaving home at just 16, to live on the streets in hostels in both London and Paris.

It was during this time in Paris that his music became more focused, he busked in the metro and played in bars around the city, all of which stood him in good stead for getting up and baring his soul in front of so many these days.

He is a performer who is not afraid to have his sound stripped down to the bare essentials; his vocals are regularly compared to Nina Simone and for good reason. The intensity and warmth behind his sound are further embellished by Alexis Bossard’s drumming on “Condolences”, whose jazz fills added another texture and depth to the sound, whilst introducing some nice changes in time signatures.

The emotion his vocals, manages to convey on “Cornerstone” are nothing short of astonishing as he cries out “I am lonely, alone in a box of stone/They claim to love me but they’re all lying.”

And it’s not just the emotion but also his vocal range that can knock you back, which was exhibited on “Adios” as he went from rich bass notes to operatic tenor. Unfortunately he was not joined on stage by his cellist on the night, so some songs were slightly reworked which in itself was a joy but some were abandoned all together such as “Winston Churchill’s Boy”.

As the evening progressed Clementine engaged with the audience more, asking in his soft-spoken tone if they believed in Christmas, to which there were cheers, only for Clementine to say, “well I do not”, with a wry smile on his face. His almost meek persona and comic timing came across all very endearing.

After such rapturous applause from the crowd following his encore he came back to the stage once more. Having been put on the spot he claimed he didn’t have anything else to play, after a moment of contemplation he opted for “The People and I” a solemn end to a quite magical evening.

Happy 25th anniversary Texas

Scottish band Texas have been celebrating their 25th anniversary this year and as they finished their European leg of their tour at Rockhal on Friday night there was certainly and sense of accomplishment in the air.

To celebrate their quarter century the band released a greatest hits album of sorts. They went into the studio with the renowned Truth and Soul production team who are the go to guys if you want your records to have that 60s-70s soul sound.

During these sessions they re-recorded all their old hits and with new arrangements brought a whole new lease of life to the tracks. They also added four new songs, their first since the 2013 album “The Conversation”, which peaked at No 4 in the UK charts.

Having sold in excess of 35 million records maybe I shouldn’t have been quite so surprised to see a queue stretching far back from the entrance on my arrival at the Rockhal.

Straight from the off frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri grabbed the attention of the crowd bounding out and encouraging the crowd to make some noise. It didn’t take long for them to mention they were celebrating their 25th year together to which the crowd dutifully serenaded the band in a rendition of Happy Birthday, this would not be the last time the crowd sang back to the band, to varying degrees of success.

This isn’t a band that rely on fancy backdrops or mesmerizing visuals to grab your attention, it’s all about the songs and Spiteri’s engaging stage presence.

Friday evening saw them delve into their back catalogue but it’s the hits that remind you just what a 90s mainstay they were. The likes of “Halo”, “Black Eyed Boy” & “Summer Son” were some of the most enduring singles of the decade and when delivered as they are by Spiteri’s velvet vocals they remind you why they were just so successful.

There was plenty of interaction too, with Spiteri telling stories of previous recording sessions and chats with Madonna, she even handed the mic over to one audience member to sing along, the woman declined to Spiteri’s bemusement. All of this just highlighted what a great frontwoman she is and how her charisma is key to the band’s success.

That charisma was no better exemplified than on “Say What You Want” when she choreographed the audience into a mass of swaying arms and a sing along. She challenged all the women to sing, before turning her attention to all the men in the crowd, which was not so successful, but her job was already done, she had the audience laughing and singing along and fully immersed in the evening throughout.

After an impressive 2 hour set I was wondering for how many more years they will be playing to crowds of that size. I suppose only time will tell on that one, but with the adulation from the crowd like it was, there is still clearly a demand for the band and if they keep producing new material the crowds will come back for more.

Slayer @ Rockhal 19/11/1015

Thrash metal royalty came and conquered the Rockhal

With every metal show come legions of fans all decked out in their favourite bands t-shirt. I know of no other genre of music that is so fiercely loyal and at every opportunity will don their tribe’s logo. Slayer and Anthrax at Rockhal on Thursday night was no exception.

With Slayer and Anthrax making up two of the ‘Big Four’ thrash metal legends, the other two being Metallica and Megadeath, you can be assured this drew metal fans from all over the region.

After the death of their founding member, guitarist and songwriter Jeff Hanneman back in 2013, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it might have been the end for Slayer but they were determined to push on and release their first new material in 6 years. So with the recent release of their 12th studio album “Repentless”, (first without Hanneman) they are intent on showing that they have lost nothing of what has made them one of the most enduring metal bands in history.

“Tonight is all about f****** metal” Joey Belladonna screamed and Metal is what we got as Anthrax kicked into “Madhouse”. Belladonna paced around the stage during the set stopping only to induce mass fist pumping from the crowd. Whilst guitarist Scott Ian laid down one fast airtight riff after another. Ferocious high-speed drumming and crunching bass were never far away either.

Songs like “Antisocial” and “Fight ‘Em Til You Can’t” got the crowd chanting away with the ever young Belladonna. Whilst with “Evil Twin” they gave the audience a glimpse of what’s to come from the new record out next February. The thrash metal fans will be happy to know they don’t veer far from their tried and tested formula.

With “In The End” They also paid tribute to the late Ronnie James Dio & Dimebag as their images donned the stage as they played out a more melodic groove.

One thrash metal legend down, one more to go. With the presence of armed police at the entrance of the Rockhal, the recent tragic events in Paris weren’t far from anyone’s mind. Slayer displayed their own touching tribute by lighting up the huge curtain covering the stage like one giant tricolore. Though we knew it was Slayer time the second that was replaced with their logo and swirling crucifixes.

As the curtain fell the stage revealed four huge crucifixes that undulated up and down, whilst a massive gothic mural donned the back of the stage dwarfing all below.

But there was no time to take that in as Kerry King started shredding up the guitar as they tore into their title track from the new album “Repentless” with all the fervour you’d expect from one of the titans of the genre. Straight away you could feel the power from the stage, the volume seemed to have been notched up to 11. We were going to feel every stamp on those two bass drum pedals from Paul Bostaph.

The set spanned the band’s 32-year career with the likes of “Black Magic” & “Die by The Sword” from their debut album. As Tom Araya took a moment to say “These days you have to be vigilant, look after each other, are you ready, ARE YOU READY” before tearing into another riff shredder with “War Ensemble”.

There was some space for the slightly slower darker groove of “When The Stillness Comes” which was more reminiscent of some doom metal. It brought about a nice change of pace to the onslaught of the thrash all evening.

With no encore it was left to “Angel Of Death” to see us all into the night and what a way to send us home. If Tom Araya’s vocals weren’t enough to entice the inner thrash metalhead out of you, then Paul Bostaph’s incredibly fast double-time drum beat was. Araya sent us away as he screamed out ANGEL OF DEATH one final time.

There is a reason these two are still legends of metal, they not only pioneered it but they still produce performances of this magnitude.

The Prodigy – Still at full throttle after all these years

With the Rockhal celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, it’s somewhat fitting that The Prodigy, the first band to grace its stage back in 2005 returned once more on Tuesday.

Having been at the forefront of the big beat/rave movement back in the early 90s, Prodigy went from playing warehouse raves to filling huge concert venues as their sound continued to connected with a new generation of kids looking to move away from what was becoming a waning Britpop scene.

With their 1997 album “The Fat Of The Land” they finally got their international breakthrough. Like all teenagers at the time, I was transfixed by the energy and attitude leaping out from the screen as Keith Flint jumped around an old abandoned underground tunnel looking slightly unhinged with his horn shaped hair on the video for “Firestarter”. Even all these years later, he still looks just as menacing and exciting.

With their latest album “The Day Is My Enemy” topping the UK charts on release, it’s clear the appetite for their abrasive dance music and punk attitude is still as feverish as ever.

However what they have become known for over the years is their electrify live shows and Tuesday was no different. Within their first five songs they managed to fit in “Breathe”, “Omen” and “Firestarter”, most bands would be delighted to have three songs of that calibre in a whole set, never mind being able to play them all so early on and still have enough to enthral for the rest of the evening. With 6 albums and 25 years behind them, they have amassed an impressive back catalogue of standout tracks to ensure that they had not left the show top heavy.

There was no let up from the outset, just sheer relentless energy emanating from the stage at all times with Keith Flint never standing still for one moment. If he was not running all over the stage, he was bouncing up and down on the spot. He recently mentioned that they can’t continue to play live for too much longer as they’re all getting older and can’t keep up the same energy levels but it didn’t look to be a problem on Tuesday.

It wasn’t just the relentless energy from the stage but also from above too, with a huge circular lighting rig, which can only be described as a spaceship looking for a place to land, with strobes and lights piercing through to every corner of the hall.

There was only one moment for a short breather through the night and that was during “Beyond the Deathray” with most of the band disappearing for a moment, it was left up to Liam Howlett on the keys to hold the crowd before launching into “Voodoo People”.

Bearing in mind that some of the songs have been recorded two decades apart, they still manage to sit comfortably alongside each other. The likes of “Nasty” & “Get Your Fight On” still have as much passion, energy and anger as the tracks they recorded all those years ago. It’s reassuring to know that they are not content on sitting back on their past achievements but still pushing themselves and producing relevant music for today.

It was left to their most controversial song “Smack My B**** Up” to get the biggest response with MC Maxim stirring the crowd into a frenzy one more time, orchestrating the whole crowd of the Rockhal to crouch down to the floor, building the tension and music till they had everyone including those at the back all crouching before releasing us all to jump around as the beat kicked back in. You couldn’t help but be caught up in it by that point.

After all these years The Prodigy still manage to enthral and energise crowds the world over, here’s hoping they won’t be hanging up the mic anytime soon.

Archive @ Rockhal 3.11.15

Just nine months after their last show in Luxembourg, Rockhal welcomed British rock band Archive to the stage on Tuesday evening once more.

Over their 20-year career they have managed to build up a solid reputation and following in continental Europe, both of which have eluded them in their native UK.

I’ll admit I had never heard of Archive until I moved to Luxembourg. Which is strange as I’m a fan of many bands they are compared to, such as Massive Attack and Portishead. Although there are similarities to those bands, they certainly have their own distinct sound.

This individual style in some ways might have hindered them with the British media, who are so concentrated on finding the next bright young hope, they’re not often interested in acts that have been around for so long. The press also feel the need to pigeonhole acts but as Archive cross so many genres this can prove to be troublesome. So after combining these two factors, Archive seem to be the band that have slipped through the cracks and eluded the British public.

First up were instrumental post rockers Robin Foster who delved between dark cinematic brooding grooves, to full on rock. They even brought Archive’s Dave Pen on stage to lend his hand on one song with vocals.

For Archive however, it was an altogether fuller sonic experience. There was no slow build up, their opener “Feel It” was straight in with crunching guitar and two-chord garage rock, full on energy and verve to kick the evening off.

Having released two albums in the past year there was plenty of energy and excitement coming from the stage, none more so than Darius Keeler on keys who looked like he was conducting a rave at points, pounding his arms to every beat.

As the band continued to blend genres with consummate ease from trip hop to progressive rock, they were never short of a good dance groove. With “Crushed” & “Finding It So Hard” their layers of keyboards and synths, along with the driving drums, which were accompanied by the three panel projection and light show, produced one of the most euphoric moments of the night.

The encore saw them go from atmospheric Pink Floyd-esque piano led “Words On Signs” to the crunching driving guitars of “Numb”. Just another example of the band veering through genres as they wished.

Their live show is altogether more energetic and uplifting than their record. This isn’t to say there is an issue with the record but it’s just an interesting adaptation to the live environment.

Archive seem to be a band that could sit comfortably in a dark and dingy club with kids dancing around, to large arenas with people standing back and enjoying the layers and complexity to their show. It’s this wide appeal that seems to work so well for them in mainland Europe and maybe unfortunately says something about the British music public that they seem to have been pushed aside.