Experiencing Chemical Brothers live is a truly spiritual experience. I’ve never jumped, flailed about or shouted so much in my life! They just knew how to connect with the audience, bypassing language or hollering ‘make some noize!’, preferring to communicate through beats and spectacular visuals. Their light show is second to none. They played their hits like Swoon (oo-ey-oo-oooo, ooey-oo-ooey-oo), Star Guitar, Block Rockin’ Beats, Out of Control, Hey Boy Hey Girl, mashed up with Setting Sun and Galvanize.
Next Chemical Brothers concert – I’m there, man, I’m there.
Another act I went to see was Janelle Monae. At last! She ran a tight ship and interacted with her audience supremely well, making everyone crouch down at one point. Her band were well into it too (is it just me or was there a difference between American backing bands and British backing bands? i.e the former are delightfully mad). She moonwalked and James Brown’d her way through Dance or Die (yes!), Faster, Locked Inside, Cold War and Tightrope. The girl next to me was like, ‘She’s sick, mahn!’ Indeed.
I also caught Aphex Twin, LMFAO, Katy B, Chromeo and The Streets (“flashing calamari?!?”). Lovebox next!
This week I also went to see megastar Janet Jackson (ok, not as mega now as back in the 90s, but still mega!) at the Royal Albert Hall. It was a stripped back, more intimate show; more about singing her hits, dancing and connecting with fans with her pearly white smile than about theatrics. Images of her chilling out with Michael Jackson were displayed when she sang Together Again, which was so sweet and sent everyone nuts. Gosh, imagine what Michael Jackson live would be like. Damn.
