Photo: Press
It is rare for an artist to feel out of place in a venue, but somehow The Roundhouse feels ever so slightly too grandiose for Mac DeMarco. Not that this is a bad thing - in fact, the juxtaposition is refreshing, and perhaps perfectly encapsulates DeMarco's unlikely rise to cult-hero status.
From the moment he takes to the stage, the room becomes a frenzy of awkward bopping and crowd-wide singalongs - a situation that doesn't dwindle throughout the night. Having dedicated fans is nothing new, but DeMarco's people take it to that next level, dressing like the Canadian troubadour and treating every single track like a hit.
This circumstance gives the whole show a celebratory ambience, the feeling that he has finally become the alternative superstar his sound has always tempted.
Opening with 'The Way You Love Her', introspective new cuts from DeMarco's latest release sit comfortably alongside old hits, culminating in a set that brings both depth and joviality, a delightful contradiction that effortlessly proves why he is playing venues of this magnitude.
The likes of 'Let Her Go', 'Salad Days' and 'Freaking Out The Neighbourhood' are given a visceral new energy in a live environment, even despite intermittent issues with sound, and each track sees a flurry of fans climb on the shoulders of others, the energy of the huge festival shows the band have played this year condensed into the North London venue.
After an emotional rendition of 'Together', DeMarco and his band return to the stage to perform a curveball encore of covers, taking on Metallica's 'Enter Sandman' and Deep Purple's 'Smoke On The Water' (obviously).
If anything, this best sums up how he has reached this status - a man unafraid to have fun and mock modern music, but with the credentials and hits to actually back it up.
