alt-JAlt-J have certainly gone places in the last two years. When they first dropped in, the humble folks at the Oxford Art Factory hosted them. Having had a Mercury Prize win and numerous Brit Award noms, they had no trouble filling the Qantas Arena this time around, and even nabbed Icelandic crooner Ásgeir for support. Natch. It was a dynamic and exciting performance, only let down, as it turned out, by a mediocre set from Ásgeir.
Young local crew Mansionair delivered a decent set of their material that got a bit lost in the lofty arena space. Hold Me Down, with its wonky synths, minimalist late night guitar atmospherics and haunting falsetto sounded good, but ultimately the energy they generated evaporated once the internationals took over.
Ásgeir played with all the personality and stage presence of a bowl of cold porridge. His delicate brand of saccharine synth-pop was ill-suited for an arena setting, and was not aided by the huge crowd chatting away in the pit below. There was no effort to connect with an obviously largely indifferent audience, and as he and his musicians all just stood there mumbling and noodling away at their instruments it got stale super quick. If they were excited or invested it didn’t show, apart from an arguably unearned group bow at the end of their set. Shuffling down the street listening to them on your headphones? Sure. Live in front of thousands of people? Nope.
Alt-J scrubbed the slate clean. Just quickly, for those who aren’t familiar with their sound, think of a vibrant combination of Bowie, Fleet Foxes and Battles, and you’re in the vicinity. The huge lighting set-up (simple concept/excellent execution) was awesome, casting brilliant reds and blues from several massive bars stretching across the stage. Their strange angular songs bounced and dipped, and their bluesy breaks rattled chest cavities. The harmonies were on point and their dynamic bombast and subtle yet complicated rhythms ticked along nicely. It was an excellent performance that was exciting and incredibly well received. It was art-pop full of swagger, and we can’t wait for them to come back.
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