Photo: Wenn
The way Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands open tonight’s Roundhouse show with ‘Hey Boy, Hey Girl’ is deliciously ironic. Its famed “Superstar DJs” sample dominated airwaves two decades ago, long before electronic music’s present pop-orientated “EDM” makeover.
And whilst it would be wrong to suggest that choosing this opener is an intentional statement of their pioneering impact, the track represents the simple truth, the Chemical Brothers have always been ahead of the game.
Apple Music Festival shows can sometimes lack atmosphere; if the act is inexperienced, the prospect of facing ballot winners can be too daunting. This cannot be said of the Chemical Brothers, who hit this unique venue with a tidal wave of beats, visuals and absolute class.
Tracks from new album Born in the Echoes dominate early proceedings. ‘EML ritual’ dizzying in its psychedelic darkness and tales of losing your mind, the big projection screen behind the pair depicting men lost inside their own consciousness. ‘Go’, the most radio friendly of the latest album follows, but it is the beautiful transition to ‘Swoon’ and ‘Star Guitar’ which really elevates. The waves of synths and rolling drums peak and trough to perfection, leading to euphoric cheers and claps of anticipation. When the soothing waterfall beat does drop, it melts everything in a moment of bliss.
Maintaining the high is a simple task with such a vast array of tracks. ‘Sometimes I Feel So Deserted’, again from …Echoes, feels wonderfully and brutally fresh. However, it is the diversity of the highs on offer that makes the set so special. 1996’s ‘Setting Sun’, a throwback to Britpop years of acid cool and rock excess, is strikingly psychedelic, featuring Noel Gallagher in amongst battering electro beats. The screen shows commuters being lost in the dance on their way to work, and the visuals, when combined with the veracity of ‘Saturate’ underneath Gallagher’s vocals, is mind-bending.
The giant balloons released as the big beat classic ends are nothing compared to the robots that come down from the ceiling, lasers firing from their eyes, when ‘The Test’ melds with the minimalism of ‘Under The Influence’.
An oasis of calm emerges amongst two encores, with the soothing ‘Snow/Surface to Air’ amalgamation. “Your love keeps pushing me higher”, chant echoing female vocals, as purple lights fill the room in curious peace. The crowd get favourites such as ‘Bloc’ Rockin’ Beats’, but the night ends with the epic ‘Private Psychedelic Reel’, a journey perhaps best described as a Formula One drive on a track with no rules or boundaries. The exultation in the crowd is obvious and completely organic.
In this era of Guetta, Avicii and Calvin Harris, who need to throw the kitchen sink at the crowd to illicit a manufactured reaction, laughably waving their arms in the air rather than mixing, it feels offensive to the British icons on stage. They offer no gimmicks, just masterful skill and outrageous tunes.
