Alex Cameron ProfileDistorted two-piece Us The Band were a welcome surprise to kick things off, melodically screaming at whoever would listen. The drum and guitar duo chugged through a bunch of Cloud Nothings inspired tunes that got the modest crowds toes a tappin'.
'Two more songs and then I’ll pass out’, the Kurt Vile look a like lead singer uttered towards the end of the high octane set, which would have been a real shame, because the slowly growing crowd was right behind him - and nobody knew first aid.
Violin wielding Low Lux was up next, a decided shift towards the moodier vibes that we were expecting from the headliner later in the night. Awkward, robotic dance moves mingled with slow-building walls of crisp percussion and reverb drenched guitar sounds that built throughout the set--before exploding into life on the brilliant closer; Cruel. The girl/guy lead singing duo won the award for best on stage chemistry of the night, as the 'will they wont they’ routine sent everybody's heart a flutter.
The unintentional mood lighting was in check as Alex Cameron eventually emerged from the back of the perennially dark Lansdowne stage. Kicking off his month long residency in style, the heart-pounding synth of opener ‘mongrel' filled the entire room with a powerful, nervous energy that permeated the entire set.
As much a self-help sermon as it was a musical performance, Alex prefaced each of his songs with nuggets of wisdom on such topics as isolation, desperation, and Internet fame. The bordering on cultish, now packed house lapped it all up, as the brilliant sax work of self-proclaimed friend and ‘business partner’ Roy Molloy brought deafening cheers from the audience during every impactful solo. Rightfully so, as it elevated the otherwise faithful album renditions to greater heights.
Alex Cameron truly was the master of his brooding craft, his moody synth pop purely a base for intelligent lyricism, painting vivid portraits of washed up t.v. stars and pensive prisoners as he danced the night away--his legs slicing and dicing across the stage like a subdued, home shopping Elvis Presley; two easy payments of awesome.
