It’s a bit of an understatement that I was excited about seeing the Arcade Fire yesterday. I have had the pleasure of seeing them twice before, and they are one of the most passionate, intense live bands you’ll ever see. Thus the chance to see them in an intimate setting such as St. John’s Church in Westminster was impossible to resist. Before the show, I had been chatting to a number of the fine people off the AF forums (AKA Us Kids Know) and also a film-maker from the BBC who is currently making a documentary about live music (he said that he didn’t go to as many gigs as I did, but he did have Pink Floyd and Lou Reed play personal shows for him, so I think he wins slightly there…) There were also a couple of famous faces near to where I was standing- I recognised Julian Barrett from the Mighty Boosh (he’s really tall), Adam Buxton from the Adam and Joe show and apparently Mark Berry from Garth Merenghi’s ‘Darkplace’ was with them as well. Oh, and Paul Morley was there- he was chatting to Win for a while after the show. But we weren’t there just to spot the B-list stars, oh no! We had more pressing matters for our attention....
First thing Win Butler said when he walks on stage is, “Hey, this is a rock concert, you better fucking stand up!” And thus this allegedly seated gig became nothing of the sort, to the satisfaction of all but the lame and useless. I thought that was pretty awesome. But what of the performance itself? Well, there’s no denying they were bit rusty- it’s only their third show (and the first official one) touring the new album. There were a few technical hitches (including a loudhailer that wouldn’t turn off), I don’t think they’ve quite got used to the expanded line-up (11 members now!) and they’re not as tight as they’ll surely be by the end of the tour- the live renditions of Black Mirror and Ocean of Noise both struck me as in need of a bit of tinkering, certainly. But it’s a testament to their talent that they were still fucking brilliant, and OoN was saved by its segue into the most awesomely bitching version of “Rebellion (Lies)” I ever did hear. In fact, it is to their credit that as well as fitting all but one song off the new album in their set, they managed to find room for half of Funeral (they weren't due to play Tunnels, but some guy kept on shouting out for it and they eventually gave in!) Win’s vocals have certainly got a lot stronger over the last couple of years; unlike before, he can sustain them for the whole set and his wife Regine was on amazing form. Her voice, known for being somewhat unpredictable live, was in fine fettle and her charming, vivacious personality came across brilliantly during the moments the set focused on her, Haiti and Black Wave especially. No Cars Go was my personal highlight with its transcendent climax, but the passionate Intervention and protest anthem Windowsill were also stunning. Unfortunately, they didn’t actually use the pipe organ for My Body Is A Cage, but Regine explained later that it would have been too difficult to pull off correctly. Real big shame that, but that’s how it goes. They concluded with a fantastic encore of “Antichrist Television Blues” (one of my favourite songs off Neon Bible) and moshtastic classic “Power Out”- a superb finale by any measure, but I can’t deny I was upset by the absence of “Wake Up,” one of my beloved songs in the world. ‘Ah well’, I despondently said to myself, ‘you can’t have everything’.
But wait! This is the Arcade Fire we’re talking about! They’re not the sort of band who’re willing to go quietly after a set. I suspected something was up when the band marched off the stage with their instruments (including a double bass, no less), paraded round the audience and walked out the front door of the venue. Then I saw some of the UKK bunch beckoning for us to get out there sharpish. And there they were, getting ready to play. So I clambered onto the sides of the steps leading down to the street and as the audience gathered on the steps of the church and the road below they launched into none other than an acoustic version of “Wake Up.” And Jesus Titty-Fucking Christ, I’ve been blessed to see some of the best live bands in existence over the last couple of years, but there is nothing, absolutely nothing that can touch that moment. It was beautiful, passionate, utterly joyous; the atmosphere was absolutely perfect, the captivated crowd singing their hearts out in the moonlight. I didn’t think anything could top “Wake Up” in Manchester as my favourite live performance of all-time, but I’m very glad to admit I was wrong.
Because the show was over and done with about 10pm, we felt it’d be nice for the UKKers to get together for a drink. So as we were waiting in the church to gather our forces, a gentleman came up and asked us if we wanted backstage passes. And for some bizarre reason, we decided to acquiesce to his offer. So we went downstairs into the bar, and hung around for an hour or so hobnobbing with the band. Now, I’m not the sort of person who really talks to musical folk (far too shy), but I actually engaged in conversation with Win (about the greatness of Antichrist Television Blues) and Jeremy (congratulating him for how quickly they’ve got to grips with the new stuff given it was only its third outing; he didn’t entirely agree!) I can’t tell you how surreal it was, chatting casually to the guys responsible for some of my favourite songs of all time. I also got a handshake from the legend that is Richard Reed Parry and a wave and a hello from Regine (who’s absolutely lovely) and Will. But most importantly, me and Graham from the forums ‘acquired’ a couple of ‘Neon Bible’ posters (from a church no less, we’re so going to hell) and got them signed by Win, Will, Richard and Tim! Shockingly, this is the one and only piece of signed music memorabilia to my name but I must say, what a doozy! It’s hanging on my wall as I speak, more beloved than my own family. Only problem was of course is that I have to be up at 6.30am, and getting to bed after 2am is not conducive to a productive day at work. Still, no denying it was TOTALLY worth it! Roll on March at the Brixton Academy!
(Photo's 'acquired' from Wonky (and others) at UKK)
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