Last night French new wave band Phoenix were in town for the NME Awards show with a career spanning over a decade and new album set for release in 2014, Phoenix show no sign of needing a break any time soon. Last year the band released their critically acclaimed album Bankrupt!, which contained infections singles Entertainment and Trying To Be Cool. Their new single SOS In Bel Air is set for release next week and if you haven’t done so check it out as we love it. We were at the bands gig last night which took place at O2 Academy in Brixton and here is how it all went down.
Yesterday was a bit stressful for anyone living in the capital largely due to some public transport issues. Anyway that aside and judging by how packed Brixton Academy was we can safely say that most people made it to the gig. The venue was packed and fans were definitely there. This wasn’t just a random gig to go to, diehard Phoenix fans were there. And to be fair we love these Frenchmen.
Phoenix themselves were on top form and seemed delighted by their English fans. The band’s show itself was also quite impressive, we loved the big screen on stage which showcased entertaining graphics like the streets of Paris and the most famous mountains of France. Nothing could have distracted you from the music though, the band’s sound is flawless on stage and Thomas Mars is an outstanding frontman, let’s not forget we saw this guy climb up the John Peel stage at Glastonbury just for the fun of it last summer. Cool and nonchalant are a few words to describe the band’s stage presence but mainly professionalism. These guys have been at it for over a decade and you can tell! Opening the gig with Entertainment the venue was dancing and belting the song out. Lisztomania was another huge hit and Lasso from Phoenix’s hugely popular album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. The night was filled with hits such as Trying To Be Cool but also new tracks like upcoming sing SOS In Bel Air, which by the way sounds amazing!
Phoenix also had a few surprises in store for its fans with for instance the star appearance of Nicola Godin from Air. Oh we felt spoilt let us tell you! Godin performed with Phoenix on stage for a beautiful rendition of their huge hit Playground Love. More encore tracks included the band’s first hit If I Ever Feel Better, which doesn’t get old and Rome.
Phoenix didn’t disappoint and so far they never have. We loved the show and its fair to say that the crowd agreed with us. The new material also sounds pretty great so safe to say we can’t wait for the new album to come out.
