Arcade Fire: Brixton Academy 15 March 2007 – Live Review

Having managed to get down from the upstairs seated “circle” and into the standing area downstairs I started on my first Jack Daniel’s and Coke in anticipation of my first Arcade Fire gig.

I’ve been looking forward to this ever since I flukily managed to get tickets.

The support artist was Patrick Wolf, a flame-haired, strangely dressed man. I was only in time to catch his last song "Magical Position" which was enough to make me think I should have arrived earlier.

Arcade Fire's night started with a black and white film of a church preaching lady storming about stage pretty much shouting her speech. Then entered the band.

Win then “warned” us that he was due to have an operation as his throat was not holding up well. I don’t know if he was joking or not as he didn’t hold back one iota.

Starting with the upbeat drums and energetic vocals on “Keep the Car Running” Arcade Fire have announced themselves to the audience. “Black Mirror” follows showcasing the subtler, spookier side of their music. Then came the old “No Cars Go” originally on their EP and re-recorded for the new album.

“Black Wave / Bad Vibrations” which is as suggests a two-part track, then started with me getting into my second beverage of the evening.

What I noticed from the beginning is that the band members are all violently passionate about the music they create. From the 2 violinists, to the brass instrumentalists to the 3 guitarists, accordion, tambourine, and drums they all love what they do.

Regine’s versatility was particularly used as she went from singing to keyboard to accordion and then drums in the space of a few songs.

The empowering “Rebellion (Lies)” and “Wake Up” soon followed with the whole crowd singing along as the event seemed to be drawing to a close. The chorus for “Wake Up” continued well past the band completing the song and the whole audience was singing for about another minute.

After two encores, they returned to do “Neon Bible” which I thought was an unusual choice to end off on. Despite my love for the track, I thought it would be the least popular of the album and it certainly is not a crowd-lifter.

Overall, a great experience.

I don’t like superlatives, but at the moment Arcade Fire are simply the best band I have heard.

If you get a chance to see them live, take it. You wont regret it one bit.

Arcade Fire: Neon Bible - Album Review

The eagerly anticipated second album from Montreal group Arcade Fire is due for release on 5 March. Having stormed the world with their debut album Funeral, this is possibly the most enthusiastically awaited second album of 2007.

They are on a tour in the Europe now until April. They just played in St. Johns Church and Porchester Hall, London and will return to the capital mid-March (I'm fortunate enough to have gotten tickets!)

While comparisons will be made with Funeral, which was my favourite album of 2005 (date of release in UK), that album "crept up on me" rather than instant love. I would suggest quite a few listens before deciding.

The opening track is Black Mirror (first single in the US) which hauntingly inches up on you with it's background wind, simple, repeated guitar strum, violins and piano. And of course Win Butler's wavering sometimes honey-like voice. When I first heard this track, I feared the "second album syndrome" as it didn't seem to offer anything new. Funeral was such an empowering body of work and upon first inspection this didn't live up to that. However, my tenacity has been rewarded. If you liked Funeral and have patience, you'll enjoy it.

Keep the Car Running (their first UK single of the album) starts off upbeat and is the most pop-like of all the album. It's an instantly likable, pop-rock track. Going through the album, it starts to offer what I have come to expect from Arcade Fire - making the unusual sound great, the off-notes sound right and the cacophony a harmony. That's what I came to love.

A new direction is taken with Neon Bible, with a somewhat empty and repetitive bass line with Win's echoing voice singing:
"It's the Neon Bible
The Neon Bible
Not Much chance for survival
If the Neon Bible is right"

It reminds me of Wolf Parades song, Modern World in that it's one simple tune and a deep underlying message about belief and direction.

No Cars Go, also on their Arcade Fire EP is more in line with what fans will be expecting, the blasting synths, accordion, group shouting, violins and fast drums.

Intervention live in Canterbury High School (Ottawa, Canada) January 2007
(best quality sound on video I could find, shame picture is not good)


As I listen through the album it edges closer and closer to me. The second half of the album is definitely more punchy and upbeat. This starts with Black Wave/Bad Vibrations which starts of with Régine singing alternately in English and French with a punchy drum as the main backdrop and then half way through it changes completely with Win laying on the vocals over a totally different and gradually more energetic sound.

From that point on I am sold. With each track getting simply better and better the more I listen.

Liked Funeral? Within time you'll love this.



Track listing:
1. Black Mirror
2. Keep The Car Running
3. Neon Bible
4. Intervention
5. Black Wave / Bad Vibrations
6. Ocean Of Noise
7. The Well And The Lighthouse
8. Building Downtown (Antichrist Television Blues)
9. Windowsill
10. No Cars Go
11. My Body Is a Cage

Arcade Fire website: www.arcadefire.com
Myspace Page: www.myspace.com/arcadefireofficial