I won’t lie- I wasn’t expecting this show to be THAT good. Whilst M83’s seductive 80’s synths are awesome on record, they didn’t strike me as the kind of thing that would work well in a live setting. And on first impressions, this seemed to be the case- the band rely significantly on pre-recorded backing tracks and vocals, there’s no visual element and the band seem distant and aloof (although they’re French, so you probably should expect that...) But as the show went on, M83 started to loosen up. Although they’re heavily reliant on laptops, they’re still more hands-on that the likes of Blonde Redhead, who annoyed me by virtue of being a karaoke act purporting to be live music. The drumming was impeccable throughout, providing the propulsive core that held everything together and most importantly for a band that deals with soundscapes the sound mix was fucking spot-on, exactly as expansive and voluminous as you could hope for. We Own The Sky and Graveyard Girl were obvious highlights, filling the room with an all-encompassing shoegaze-y haze of lush electronica, but it was Couleurs with its Justice-esque dance-party outro that ruled the night, reflecting a more light-hearted side to the band that isn’t always apparent. A superb performance, it’s made me even more excited about their upcoming show at St. Giles-In-The-Fields Church...if the acoustics there are as good as I’ve heard, it’s going to be *astounding*.(Photo: Robert Dougan (Flickr))
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