A twenty minute interval passed during which we were treated to unnecessarily obnoxious dance mash ups of classic 90s indie tunes, and as the audience swelled and danced appreciatively to mutant versions of songs I once liked, I began to fear the worst. “Who are Klaxons?” I wondered.
It transpired that my fear was unnecessary, and as the Klaxons swiftly took to the stage and launched into their cover of 'Not Over Yet' the audience erupted with leaps and cheers, and a smile crept across my faceIt was an apt song for the band to start with, and echoes of the track – originally a hit in 1995 for dance trio Grace – resonated through the rest of their set. Older, guitar driven hits like 'Golden Skans', 'Gravity’s Rainbow' and 'Echoes' were scattered among their newer more synth-orientated songs, and this side by side comparison demonstrated their movement away from Jamie Reynolds’ earlier more intricate bass lines to more propulsive dance tunes and James Righton's increasingly dominant layers of synth. And it was in those newer dance driven tunes where the ghost of Grace was most apparent!
It would be easy to say Klaxons are unoriginal; their songs are so consistently reminiscent of so many artists of the past two decades, but this is missing the point. You may well have heard it all before, but chances are you’ve never heard it all together in one set! Furthermore, with such an eclectic range of songs it would be impossible not to sound derivative, and the fact that they wear these influences so loudly and proudly on the sleeves of their multicoloured jackets doesn’t diminish the quality or enjoyment of their music. The fun they were clearly having tonight with their energetic falsetto choruses and eccentric electro soundscapes was infectious.