Music
Alphabeat @ Islington Academy, November 15
Published Monday, Nov 19 2007, 16:13 GMT | By Alex Fletcher
Sometimes even the most perfect bands can be hampered by their venues. Nobody wants to see Girls Aloud slugging it out down the Frog & Parrot with some student hair metal bands. The Arctic Monkeys have never really been the same since they exchanged sweaty rock clubs for alcohol-sponsored arenas and mega-stadiums. And the loutish brothers Gallagher just couldn't seem to get their heads around the peace and love Glastonbury schtick last time around. So it's a great shame that (at least for the moment) Danish popstars Alphabeat are being forced to do the regulation sweaty, toilet-venue tour around Britain. Their mixture of Scissor Sisters high camp and B52's perfect pop has seen them labeled "the best band in the world" by the ever understated Popjustice. On the basis of this performance they may not be too far off the mark with such hyperbole. Tonight their glamour, sparkle and glorious outfits deserve a stage far grander than the murky squalor of the Islington Academy.
They skip onto the Academy boards with the sort of grins you probably last saw on a stage at your primary school nativity. Despite the venue being only half-full, the Danes seem shocked that anybody has bothered to turn up at all and launch into their new single 'Fantastic 6' with some feverish body-shaking, and a rhythm section so tight it probably causes major chafage. Live the record sounds even more glorious and ecstatic, with its rousing chants spruced up, the synths tweaked up to 12 and the dual vocals of Anders and Stine sizzling with the sort of dumb pop-charm that only Scandinavians can manage. The multi-vocal outro, where all the band chant in unison is the sort of cathartic, almost-religious finale that The Flaming Lips have been searching for since day one. Oh and by the way, did we say that this was the first song of the evening? Alphabeat tonight break the golden rule that all support acts must be pale imitations of the main performers. They don't know any other way but to show-steal.
This isn't some one-hit wonder showcase though. Any fears that they've peaked too soon are alleviated immediately as they burst into barrage of pop hooks and sugar-coated melodies, the likes of which haven't been seen on a stage since Andrew Ridgely and George Michael called it a day. What's maybe most exciting about the band is the sheer quantity of tunes they have in their locker. '10 Thousand Nights Of Thunder', 'What Is Happening?', and 'Boyfriend' are the sort of pop anthems that Girls Aloud and McFly's management team would sell their right arms for. And probably their right leg as well. Their fine-tuned performance, with noted credit to drummer Troels Hansen, makes sure their singalong sheen isn't lost in the acoustics of the small venue.
The band end their 25-minute set with 'Fascination'. If the song doesn't become the biggest chart hit single since Gnarls Barkley walloped us around the ears with 'Crazy', then there’s something wrong with the world. It takes approximately five seconds before the crowd are hooked and lapping up every tambourine shake and keyboard woosh. Imagine a party held by Dale Winton and Fearne Cotton, where every-one gets splattered in Day-Glo paint and Girls Aloud are in charge of DJ duties. Then multiply the fun levels by a hundred and you’ll be somewhere close to the pop genius of the track. It might have been a far too brief set on a chilly and grim night in Islington, but Alphabeat are going nowhere. They are ready to take over your lives come 2008.
They skip onto the Academy boards with the sort of grins you probably last saw on a stage at your primary school nativity. Despite the venue being only half-full, the Danes seem shocked that anybody has bothered to turn up at all and launch into their new single 'Fantastic 6' with some feverish body-shaking, and a rhythm section so tight it probably causes major chafage. Live the record sounds even more glorious and ecstatic, with its rousing chants spruced up, the synths tweaked up to 12 and the dual vocals of Anders and Stine sizzling with the sort of dumb pop-charm that only Scandinavians can manage. The multi-vocal outro, where all the band chant in unison is the sort of cathartic, almost-religious finale that The Flaming Lips have been searching for since day one. Oh and by the way, did we say that this was the first song of the evening? Alphabeat tonight break the golden rule that all support acts must be pale imitations of the main performers. They don't know any other way but to show-steal.
This isn't some one-hit wonder showcase though. Any fears that they've peaked too soon are alleviated immediately as they burst into barrage of pop hooks and sugar-coated melodies, the likes of which haven't been seen on a stage since Andrew Ridgely and George Michael called it a day. What's maybe most exciting about the band is the sheer quantity of tunes they have in their locker. '10 Thousand Nights Of Thunder', 'What Is Happening?', and 'Boyfriend' are the sort of pop anthems that Girls Aloud and McFly's management team would sell their right arms for. And probably their right leg as well. Their fine-tuned performance, with noted credit to drummer Troels Hansen, makes sure their singalong sheen isn't lost in the acoustics of the small venue.
The band end their 25-minute set with 'Fascination'. If the song doesn't become the biggest chart hit single since Gnarls Barkley walloped us around the ears with 'Crazy', then there’s something wrong with the world. It takes approximately five seconds before the crowd are hooked and lapping up every tambourine shake and keyboard woosh. Imagine a party held by Dale Winton and Fearne Cotton, where every-one gets splattered in Day-Glo paint and Girls Aloud are in charge of DJ duties. Then multiply the fun levels by a hundred and you’ll be somewhere close to the pop genius of the track. It might have been a far too brief set on a chilly and grim night in Islington, but Alphabeat are going nowhere. They are ready to take over your lives come 2008.
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