Live Review: Phoenix, World's End Press

Turns out World's End Press's synth-disco-glam-pop is an apt way of opening the evening. The band and the audience take a few songs to get in sync, but by the time To Send Our Love comes around World's End Press are winning people over – if not because of their dance jams then thanks to vocalist John Parkinson's nerdy, white-boy grooving (mop top bouncing non-stop) or bassist/synth-player Sashi Dharann's smooth-shuffling feet and dramatic, drum pad flourishes.
Pusha T's Numbers On The Boards plays over the speakers as Phoenix (plus two touring members) take to the stage. They let us know exactly what we're all here for from the get-go as they charge into Entertainment, opener from latest album Bankrupt!, and stage lights hit us from every angle. The touring synth-player/percussionist and drummer are perched on raised platforms, silhouetted against a giant screen, which displays footage and light patterns as part of the impressive light show throughout the set. Such a strong, punchy opening makes the songs that follow – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix favourites Lasso and Lisztomania no less – pale in comparison, but even then the crowd lap it up, taking over for the choruses.

Rainbow stripes fill the screen for Trying To Be Cool, which incorporates the bridge of Drakkar Noir as its ending, the latter's chime-riff outro continuing into Chloroform's intro. In the standing area, a vast sea of hands wave forwards and backwards in unison to the slow, hypnotic beat. We're able to really appreciate the band's musicianship and tight teamwork during the mostly instrumental Love Like A Sunset Pt I/Bankrupt!/Love Like A Sunset Pt II medley, as they turn up the intensity and pare it back accordingly. The two percussionists stand up to drive the climax and the two guitarists, one at either side of the stage, sweetly fingerpick harmonies to fade out. Frontman Thomas Mars requests the house lights be brought up for Armistice (“When the lights are cutting out”), saying, “We need you, we don't need the light show – all we need is you.” (We beg to differ: we don't want this dazzling light show to ever end.) Though the lighting operator's half-hearted compliance is a bit distracting, Armistice revs us all up nicely to go off for man set closer 1901. We sing, “HEY-HEY-HEY-HEY-HEY-HEY-HEY!” and the floor is a jumping mass of bodies.

A vocal- and guitar-only rendition of Countdown opens the encore, with spotlights on Mars (in among the front row punters) and guitarist Chris Mazzalai onstage. And, to take us out, coming full circle, the band play a reprise of Entertainment as Mars walks all through the outer edges of the crowd, even climbing up onto the balcony and back down again, repeatedly shouting into the mic, “Thank you for coming!” After witnessing Phoenix's faultless stage show, plus that extra personal touch, we're really the ones who should be thanking them.