LCD Soundsystem & Hot Chip @ Alexandra Palace (11.10.2010)
Posted by David Hayter on 11.15.2010
As James Murphy prepares to call time on his most loved incarnation, tonight’s sold out stint at Alexandra Palace has the distinct feeling of a victory lap.
Somewhere between 2007’s mid life crisis turned masterpiece Sound Of Silver and 2010’s This Is Happening LCD Soundsystem found themselves transformed from critics favorites to genuine superstars, and yet it’s almost impossible to pin down what exactly changed.
Often derogatorily labeled a “journo’s band”, LCD Soundsystem were always the critical darlings, but it had never translated into hit records or sold out shows. True to form, their latest offering, This Is Happening debuted in the charts at number seven to rave reviews, spawning a minor hit in “Drunk Girls” before disappearing from the mainstream glare to the lair of internet message boards and youtube.
Yet when it came time to tour something was markedly different; LCD sold out two nights at the Brixton Academy in a single day, then they were announced as sub headliners at Glastonbury, next they were topping the NME stage at Reading festival, before, most remarkably, they found themselves following in the footsteps of Daft Punk, Fat Boy Slim and Massive Attack by headlining Wireless festival in front of a 30,000 strong crowd. By comparison tonight’s 12,000 sold out crowd seems like small potatoes and yet it was almost imaginable just six months ago.
However, if tonight was supposed to be a celebration of two of 21st Centuries electronic heroes then obviously no one had informed the staff at the Ally Pally. Whether you arrived an hour early or two hours late you were treated to a spiralling queue that not only circled the historic broadcast tower but managed to wind their way down Muswell Hill. Despite the foreknowledge that a sold out crowd was set to descend, the organizers had only seen fit to lay on four door staff, and had made the equally baffling decision to search each audience member individually.
Those hoping to catch a glimpse of the hotly tipped noise pop duo Sleigh Bells were left bitterly disappointed as the majority of the crowd stood motionless outside hearing only the faintest reverberations of their bass driven bombast. If the crowd were frustrated, Sleigh Bells must have been devastated, it is incredibly unlikely that such an odd ball and inaccessible band will be afforded another opportunity to play in front of a crowd so large and so uniquely susceptive to their charms.
Hot Chip whose co-headline status seemed somewhat forgotten on the night, nearly suffered the same fate as Sleigh Bells. At nine o’clock the vast majority of the crowd was still queuing patiently outside. Thankfully, disaster was averted when the fifteen minutes into Hot Chip’s set the organizers came to their senses, dropping the barriers, allowing the crowd to rush in. Those fans hoping to hear top ten hits and club classics “Boy From School”, “One Life Stand” and “Over And Over” were too late, Hot Chip had blown through those tracks in just thirty minutes. On any other night this would have provided an unforgettable opening, tonight it just imbedded a sense of injustice in an already weary crowd.
Not to be defeated by an ever expanding and largely distracted crowd Hot Chip set about crafting a sublimely judged set that showed of their sensitivity and quirkiness in equal measure. “Take It In” displayed thoughtful layered dance floor electronica at its best while the eternally awkward “Shake A Fist” was transformed into a live anthem, proving that Hot Chip can still get retarded with the best of them. By the time set closer “Ready For The Floor” rolled around Hot Chip had warmed a frosty crowd, averting the disaster and setting the stage for LCD Soundsystem to triumph.
LCD Soundsystem
Setlist:
1. Dance Yrslf Cln 2. Drunk Girls 3. I Can Change 4. Daft Punk Is Playing At My House 5. All My Friends 6. You Wanted A Hit 7. Tribulations 8. Movement 9. Yeah (Crass Version)
Encore:
10. Someone Great 11. Home
LCD, however, had their own adversity to overcome; having shredded his voice on the Spanish leg of the tour James Murphy was force to use steroids to make it through tonight’s performance. Luckily Murphy never faltered, and didn’t even appear phased as he casually sauntered on stage to deliver an awe inspiring rendition of “Dance Yrslf Cln”. The track had been inexplicably dropped from LCD’s festival setlists but tonight it reclaimed its rightful place as the set opener. Building slowly with delicate lyricism “Dance Yrslf Cln” provoked a deafening chorus from the crowd before that synth line crunched into action, instantly releasing the crowd’s previously pent up frustration into one great euphoric adrenaline rush.
From then on in there was no stopping Murphy an co. no matter what obstacle were thrown in their path. When the kick drum broke mid way through a raucous rendition of “Daft Punk Is Playing A My House”, LCD Soundsystem adapted instantly, seamless dropping the beat and improvising a quiet groove while Murphy echoed refrain, fixing the drum in under thirty seconds, the band suddenly launched back into the track’s final chorus full pace giving the track the definitive ending it had always lacked. Had Murphy not informed the crowd of the mishap, it would have no doubt been mistaken for an act of live showmanship.
While the set never really lost steam LCD have still yet to find a organic slot for “Someone Great”, “I Can Change” and “You Wanted It; they feel like essential setlist staples and yet they never quite sit comfortably alongside either LCD’s up tempo dance floor stompers nor they sprawling groove laden jams. The same cannot be said of the always heartbreaking set centerpiece “All My Friends”, which the crowd bizarrely saw fit to bounce through.
Tonight however, the true highlights came from unusual sources; the ironic monotony of “Yeah (Crass Version)” had the crowd busting moves in unison, while the atonal punk assault of “Movement” provoked the night’s most riotous moshing, and it was the set closer “Home” that had the greatest poignancy. Even as the crowd battled with an unending onslaught of balloons the tracks subtlety was not lost, nor was it’s heartfelt message of good bye; “You Might Forget, Forget The Sound Of My Voice, But Don’t Forget, No Don’t Forget, The Things That We Laughed About”.
In keeping with a calamitous night, the delays caused by the organization mishaps earlier in the evening meant LCD ran into the curfew just eleven tracks into their set. The second encore was lost and as a result “Get Innocuous”, “Yr City’s A Sucker” and “New York I Love You But Your Letting Me Down” were lost, but it hardly seemed to matter. As the audience members scrambled to take home one of the remaining unpopped balloons as a souvenir, they all had one thing in common; wide toothy wholly satisfied grins.
The 411: It seemed everything was conspiring to ruin this show; horrible weather, terrible organization, broken drum kits, huge queues, massive delays and stringent curfews. Yet, all of these miserable annoyances combined couldn't sink a truly sublime night of music where both bands excelled. Hot Chip were intellectual, heartfelt, goofy and fun; all those qualities that conspire to make them so unique on record made them truly endearing in the live arena. While, LCD Soundsystem surpassed the hype, they proved that they deserve to be headliners. They may not have hit singles, they don't even have hit albums, but they are brilliant, and they showed it tonight, with a set that was comprised of equal parts showmanship, subtlety and blistering raucous party starting grooves. A true triumph over adversity.
