If you're going to go to three gigs in a week, you'd better end on a high. See a band currently playing around the country to rave reviews and bringing a party. Why not see them at a late night gig, band on at 23.30? Yes please.I must admit to being a bit worried I'd conk out by the time Hot Chip appeared. An extra work shift with an early wake up call negated the possibility of getting some ZZZs to prep. A swift Red Bull beforehand buzzed it up a little.
After the assholic Jamie T fans the Hot Chip ones were an array of cool kids, rave agents, indie dancers and all sorts who like to get down and don't care what the knob twiddlers look like. Alot is made of Hot Chip's look, and yes they look geeky, particularly de facto frontman Alexis Taylor, but who cares, when the music is fun and makes you move about a bit with a large smile, the face shouldn't matter.
I was pretty excited about this gig, I bought tickets off the back of the knowledge that, at the time, a new album was imminent AND a great set at Glastonbury in 2008, a personal highlight of which was Wiley coming on for a party fuelled "Wearing My Rolex".
Late night gigs can be weird, a mix of rave, it usually seems to dance acts playing, and live set, an audience who turn up after coming out of the pub at closing, a little tanked up or perhaps flavoured on a purple pill or white dust. You get a mix of people who usually go to live shows and want to stand by the bar and nod and those who have come to throw their hands up and shake 'em from side to side. The timings too, can confuse, tonight there is a support act before and after the main act with DJs covering the in-betweens. We miss Zongamin the initial support act and come in to see a DJ playing on a small corner of the stage. The stage time was 23.00 but its a good half hour after until they wonder and take positions behind decks of synths.
I follow Hot Chip on twitter and through the slow flow of tweets on the latest status of their current tour and how the night went the excitement has built. They mention playing with the setlist, which is confirmed by those available online, they have been opening with "Boy From School" but tonight it's "Hand Me Down Your Love" or so I think, I can't confirm it as my memory has faded and no one seems to have published a set list.
Despite not knowing which songs were played in which order I do know that it was a mix of the last three albums, only two made it from "The Warning" "Over and Over" which is big tonight, really massive and finally gets the crowd going like they should be and "Boy From School" which tonight has a new arrangement making it almost unrecognisable at first. One of the problems with the tonight's set list is "One Life Stand"'s slower songs, it seems every time the beat gathers pace and the crowd start to move the more upbeat song is followed by a slower one "Alley Cats" or "Brothers". While the crowd sway, bop and shake to "One Life Stand", "Hold On" and my One Life Stand Favourite "We Have Love".
The Brixton soundsystem is an odd one, it can be hard to find a good spot for the sound to be just right and at times I think the system let Hot Chip down and prevented them blowing the roof off. There are many thank yous, bassist Owen Clarke, dressed in a suit, dances like a dad at a wedding, Alexis Taylor does his timid shimmy and bop and Al Doyle seems to run the stage set up. Live drums as provided by Grosvenor enchance the beat.
There's a pause after the "Thank you and good night" as they appear once again. The set ends with "Ready For The Floor", their mega smash hit that is possibly not their greatest song. Nonetheless Alexis gives a little "Do it do it do it do it now..." and we know what's coming. Two confetti canons lets rip and we are showered amongst the flashing lights by paper scraps twirling through the air. The crowd let loose lose it as you feel they might have had the set as a whole been more up tempo. I think I was expecting more from a late night gig, sure the songs sounded great the arrangements gave new meaning to many of the songs but it could have done with a little more debauchery.
Many depart post haste into the cold February night, we stick around for a little bit of Simian Mobile Disco, two men run around an array of buttons and switches on a stage set of lights akin to Darth Vader's pod. Its freaky, the bass is massive and maybe this is what the 'Chip could have given us.
I want a little delirium, it's not a drug, just a good time.
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