Everything Everything OX4 Festival @ The O2 Academy, Oxford 9/10/10
4/5
By: Liane Escorza
Even if every fibre in your body is anti pop, anti art and anti fun, it’s difficult to deny that Everything Everything are rather captivating. For a staunch ally of each of those causes (such as myself), their music is engaging, catchy –though not tiring– and beautifully sparkling. That’s just on record, but watching them live is no different. In fact, things take a new dimension.
If images, videos and promotion weren’t available at first hand, one would have sworn these guys would present themselves with silly attitudes and girl-eyeing prospects; such is the racy syncopated nature of their sound. But this picture is far from reality. The band and especially leader Jonathan exude maturity, stability and an aura of hard work over the rock n’ roll ‘living in the edge’ choice. They push their boundaries onstage and they encourage participation; they want the crowd involved in this party.
Musically, Jonathan’s ability to cram huge bundles of words (with understandable meaning) into single bars whilst keeping pronunciation and pitch in check is astonishing. His voice is of thick wooden quality, the kind that manages to stretch and flex to the highest and lowest of the possible scales without using falsettos.
Backed up by a band performing 80s-indebted electro beats reminiscent of the Pet Shop Boys, with quick guitar plucking, harmonic choruses and rapid drumming, I start to picture bubbles. Bursting droplets of fizzy water. The sound of their record Man Alive falling in to my mouth. It tastes of champagne.
Artists in this article: Everything Everything
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