Chaos lies at the heart of all Akron/Family gigs, which means there's always a risk that a given show may collapse into pretention at any time. Tonight, this occurs with even more regularity than normal, but not even a surplus of self-indulgence could detract from an often excellent and inventive performance. Veering away from the folkier end of the musical spectrum to noisier, less melodic climes there's all the genre-bending improv madness you'd expect- their raved-up Buraka Som Sistema moments were brillian, though the 20 minutes of sub-Animal-Collective drones would have sent even the most sugar-addled hyperactive into a state of catatonia. Shame about the Berlin Wall-esque barrier precluding much of the audience participation, but on the whole a perfectly enjoyable showing from a band whose lack of self-restraint is both their greatest strength and most crippling weakness.
Oh, and brilliant support set from Slaraffenland- innovative Danish indie-pop with orchestral flourishes reminiscent of Efterklang and Jaga Jazzist. Check them out at the Queen of Hoxton on 8th December, you won't regret it.
(Photo: Christopher Walmsley (Flickr))
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