Anne WidjajaVerdict: Klaxons @ Enmore Theatre 2/11/10
September 3rd 2010 14:19
Now, let me introduce you to the birth mother of nu rave, the Klaxons. Last seen in the country at Modular's 10th Birthday bash 'Nevereverland' in 2008, the three turned four man band has returned to the country this month to tour their newest offering Surfing The Void. Upon entering the stage of the Enmore theatre to what can only be described as some sort of flute inspired homage to the BBC channel, the members of the band took their places and without skipping a beat, immediately ripped into 'Flashover' from Surfing. The heaviness of the track's colliding synths and guitar riffs, and the shouted ominous lyrics "dimension of time have come undone" did not work too well as a warming introduction to the band. Instead, the gig started with a thick frost over an ever stiffening crowd.
However, never underestimate the power of the first album to bring a show back from the brink. With a first taste from the band's debut album Myths of the Near Future the previously unseen rave potential of the Enmore was suddenly, but surely, let loose. 'Magick' was the one to break the ice. The track's urgent yells and mixed tempos built up to a perfect crescendo, enticingly lengthened by a pause in the middle of the track as the band bathed in darkness for a moment, lapping up the frenetic energy of the crowd. The brilliantly boppy 'Gravity's Rainbow' and the catchy oohs of 'Golden Skans' were similarly met with a sea of excited smiles and timely hand bounces. The alarm raising closer 'Atlantic to Interzone' simply blew the roof off, well off. But, unfortunately, the electric vibes of the show were consistently dampened by tracks from Surfing. The album's more monotonous tracks 'Twin Flames' and 'Extra Astronomical' were received very meekly by what seemed like an entirely disinterested crowd. Even the soaring first single and Triple J favourite to flog 'Echoes' failed to explode into the kind of frenzy that this crashing, dramatic pop tune truly deserves.
The band may have seamlessly delivered a set which displayed their penchant for creating music within what seems like an endlessly innovative and exciting space age vacuum, but it fell short of winning over those of us that were less intergalactically inclined. It was potentially the band's tendency to fall into the habits of the reserved indie rock band that created a chasm between what was happening on stage and in the crowd. The typical lack of interaction with the crowd and the stony faced expressions lead the crowd to believe that the Klaxons may have just fallen a little into the void. Still, this band is much too exciting to be written off just yet, so I'm going to keep my glow sticks at the ready.
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