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Jon Hopkins came to the end of an impressive (and lengthy) run of shows with the finale of his Immunity tour at the Brixton Academy last night.
The support slot is filled by the besuited East India Youth, whose ethereal electronica should be all the more haunting in the majestically decorated Brixton Academy. Sadly, the sound isn’t great, and what you can tell is a well-executed set is marred by sounding washed out and far too loud.
This doesn’t bode well, but luckily by the time Hopkins takes to the stage, all has had been put right - and rather than painfully stabbing at your eardrums, his music washes through the crowd, vibrating your very soul.
It being a Friday night in Brixton, Hopkins veers away from his more classical material (there was no grand piano in sight) and even the more ambient side of Immunity – it was a club set through and through, complete with lasers and dancers joining him onstage with light-up hula hoops to screams of delight from a very sweaty crowd.
Hopkins is dimly lit in the centre of the stage, with the focus mainly on the huge screen behind him – the Immunity tour has been billed throughout as being an audio-visual experience.
At the same time as the songs bleed seamlessly into one another, the visuals shift (sometimes jerkily, but only ever when intentional) from one to the next. From the infamous videos which accompany tracks like 'Open Eye Signal' and 'Collider' to flitting shapes and angles, all throb perfectly in time to the Hopkins’ signature heavy yet organic beats that pulse through the room.
The perfect culmination of a diverse and altogether magical tour, this final night is high on energy and sees fans leaving slightly bamboozled and very happy – if somewhat disappointed that it’s all come to an end.
