Metronomy - Royal Albert Hall, London 3/10/11
5/5
By: Joe Daniels
The Royal Albert Hall, on the face of it, is hardly a fitting venue for a band like Metronomy. Its majestic cavernousness, plush seating, and £4.50 bar tariff all seems a little too… well, Royal for a band that are on a victory lap of what is essentially a concept record about Devon. Metronomy, though, are not a band to shy away from a challenge, as is evident from said decision to make an album that is essentially a concept record about Devon, and this gig is testament to their increasing stock as one of Britain’s most exciting, and formidable bands.
As with any enormodome, generating a vibe of intimacy is paramount and hot off a Summer-slew of festivals, the band have no trouble working the several-thousand sized crowd. The formula is a simple one, playing the old super-speed songs – such as ‘Radio Ladio’ and ‘Holiday’ – at their regular super-speed, and speeding the slower new ones – like ‘The Bay’ and ‘Corinne’ – up to super-speed. It makes for a rollicking performance that rarely gives the audience time to breathe.
What does grant the audience that desired sense of closeness and occasion with the band is frontman Joseph Mount’s entirely affable persona. His is a charisma that is charming, friendly, and utterly un-showy. It makes the gig feel like he’s in it with you; he’s just as surprised to see his band in such a pompous venue, and with his wry smiles and sarky, tongue-in-cheek comments (‘You could be a Channel 4 stand-up show audience’), he’s able to puncture any doubts the audience have in his band’s on-stage potency.
Beyond that is the sheer spectacle of the gig’s very existence. Metronomy are a band of grueling hard-work. They have played in toilet after toilet for years, contributed songs and production to Girls Aloud splinter careers, and have had their work dismissed as dance-floor fodder. Because of all this, tonight is imbued with mighty defiance of doubt, and an affirmation of their existence as a serious band, making serious music. So what if it’s about Devon?
Metronomy playing the Royal Albert Hall, then, isn’t so much a band trying to make it into the big leagues alongside Devon’s only other musical exports – some band you may have heard of that are all into UFOs and shit… – but it is instead a joyous celebration of a band that have, by stealth, asserted themselves as one of Britain’s most venerable young acts.
Artists in this article: Metronomy
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