Live

Klaxons

Laurence Ettridge 19/05/2007

From a personal perspective, tonight has to be described as disappointment. This is by no means a reflection on the performance of The Klaxons but simply a result of the complete frustration from the constraints of level 2 seating at Shepherd's Bush. The only advantage to be offered from this
distant view is to look down and see just how far The Klaxons have come. The crowd tonight is heaving with (dare I stereotype them?) “Nu-Ravers”, having only released their debut album at the beginning of the year, The Klaxons have still somehow managed to spawn their own unique offspring of followers.

“Nu-rave” has gone beyond the term created by singer Jamie Reynolds and developed into a complete fashion scene in its own right. Customised hoodies bearing The Klaxons logo, loud and lairy colours, and glow sticks fashioned into jewellery are what dominate the attire of Shepherd's Bush
tonight, a sight you are unlikely to see (for the time being) anywhere but at a Klaxons gig.

Even from my position on the balcony, the pulse of excitement can still be felt, as the fashion tonight shows clear preparation and anticipation from all in attendance, which is why the reaction to The Klaxons arrival on stage is no surprise. Typical opener, The Bouncer, gets the party started in the standing area of Shepherd's Bush, highlighting the special thing about a Klaxons gig, which is that they are clearly a party setting. There is an atmosphere completely different to that of their peers, the view from the balcony unveils not an uncomfortable crush to compete for the best spot in the crowd, but a jolly luminous bouncing of nu-ravers dancing with each other, and not merely watching the show in a stationary poise.

The “oooh-oh-oh-oh” of Atlantis to Interzone is greeted like an old friend, as for many of the crowd it was our first taste of Klaxons, whilst the tune was still floating around on MySpace before helping to conquer the album charts with the top 2 status of Myths of the Near Future.

Hits Golden Skans and Gravity's Rainbow follow, the latter receiving a particularly energetic response, following Klaxon Jamie Reynolds provocative command to “Stop fucking about!”. The fittingly titled, It's Not Over sees Klaxons leave the stage for a brief pause before the encore. Isle of Her and Four Horsemen of 2012, follow each other in quick succession for a rowdy close to the set.

The Klaxons almost refuse to leave the stage. Clearly moved, they proclaim tonight as the best show they have played in the capital. They do eventually leave, perhaps upon the realisation that they have played all of their songs. Klaxons played a fantastic show tonight, although painfully tantalising on a personal level that I couldn't join the party downstairs!