Concorde 2, 30th September 2009
New Rave. The double-barrelled genre slur still gives me the shivers. Hoards of pubescent teens dolled up to the nines with neon paints and glow sticks, and for what? To get their unashamed rocks off to the likes of Klaxons!? Eeeeeeew! Luckily, the so-called ‘movement’ was short lived, but it wasn’t without the odd ray of light, one of which was Simian Mobile Disco.
Having remixed for an eclectic array of artists including Peaches, Bjork, The Kills and Arvand Van Helden, Simian’s killer dance anthems led to a well-deserved amassment of techno junkie devotees. But it’s with their live shows that the duo really come into their own. The Concorde’s stage is kitted out with their trademark plethora of gadgets and gizmos which includes a mutant-like mixing hub that the pair scamper around like raging electro-vultures, trying to coerce the tasty beats locked inside. There are moments during the relentless onslaught of tunes where you’d be forgiven for questioning the legality of the volume levels, as it seems James Ford and James Shaw are on a covert mission to blow as many ear-drums (not to mention speakers) as physically possible. The audience don’t seem to mind though, as hundreds of eager arms pierce the light with a myriad of shapes I’ve never even seen pulled before.
The boys drop a generous helping of old material too, which goes down a storm with those at the front. Whereas current single ‘Audacity Of Huge’ from the new album gets everyone in the place singing along in unison.
It’s not all good though. As impressive as the immense light show and dynamic E.Q drops are, there’s no mistaking that Simian are unfortunately just plain samey and it’s hard to distinguish one instrumental tune from another. That said, the vocal based numbers are what set the duo apart from other techno acts, with modern classic ‘The Beat’ (feat Ninja from The Go! Team) being a high point tonight. By the end of the show the near capacity audience seems less enthusiastic, the darting shapes disintegrating into tired sways. Maybe more variation in tempo is something Simian should consider for album number three.
Written by James Watts
Photography by Ed Isaacs
What did you think of the gig?
Left to right:
David – “F***ing amazing!”
Tom – “Tits and acid”
The Goose – “Unbelievable!”
The Player – “It was fanny-tastic!”
Max (left) – “They were really good live! I’ve never heard so much bass in my life!”
Harriet (left) – “Insanely awesome! It was a really sweet gig!”
Eden (right) – “Three words – brilliant, marvellous and outstanding”
