Photo: Justine Trickett
Dry ice engulfs the sweaty basement of XOYO, disturbed constantly by piercing strobe lights, providing the perfect setting for Chromeo's return to the UK.
Nearly four albums in and fans know exactly what to expect from old schoolfriends and electrofunk experts P-Thugg (Patrick Gameyal) and Dave 1 (David Macklovitch), but the Canadian duo are none the worse for this. Indeed, one of the great things about Chromeo live is you can guarantee the audience have all arrived in their highest spirits, expectant yet relaxed, ready to kick on and dance away.
The band are much the same onstage, all smiles and warmth on a wet winter's night in London. Yet they also avoid the pitfalls of being pretentious or aloof, goading and welcoming the entire crowd into this camp, electrofunk party. As such, the first half of the evening flies by.
With a simple stage set up, bossed only by the two and no backing band, tracks segue quickly and seamlessly into one another, as polished as a DJ set. Before you know it, the likes of old favourites 'Fancy Footwork', 'Tenderoni' and 'Call Me Up' have already been very well received by feet and throats alike. There's no let-up with laptops. But while the set leans heavier on older material than Chromeo's forthcoming White Women LP, rarer new songs played such as 'Over Your Shoulder' and 'Sexy Socialite' hint at greater potential for commercial success, if the current vogue in pop for classic disco sounds is anything to go by - even if Chromeo have been doing this sort of thing for years now.
To finish off, the band follow with 'Bonafied Lovin' with 'Needy Girl', prompting tongue-in-cheek guitar showmanship from Dave 1 and yet louder songalongs in response, bringing the curtains down on a triumphant evening. Bigger UK shows may well await next year.
Below: 12 exclusive photos of Chromeo bringing the funk to XOYO
