Metronomy Live in New Zealand – October 06
Raising people to the roof used to be a figure of speech for me, but not anymore – when Metronomy had the power on Tuesday to force three people sky high in under an hour, you know you’re witnessing a musical act with the right stuff.
Openers Moron Says What?!?! didn’t leave much to be desired. The set bordered on laziness, and the general mishmash of sounds from the teenaged band was on the wrong side of the line that defines good noise from bad. Lead singer Alessandra’s crowd banter went nowhere, and when snide references to local band Popstrangers were made, a few frowns appeared on faces in the crowd, which should never be the noted achievement of a band’s live act. But despite making the eager beavers in the crowd sweat waiting, for what seemed closer to an hour than it really should have been after Moron Says What?!?! made their departure, Metronomy soon got the anticipating crowd wriggling and squealing with excitement. The four piece outfit fronted by Joseph Mount launched into horde favourites My Heart Rate Rapid, Heartbreaker, and Holiday that had the packed Montecristo room in Auckland surging with energy. The addition of new-ish members Gbenga Adelekan and Anna Prior really strengthened the group’s live show. With a band whose songs are eclectically strong on synths and computer-generated sounds, Anna’s frantic live drumming and the general coolness of Gbenga’s bass added an element of energy similar electronic bands could never compare to. Songs like On The Motorway tied in the live drums well while Metronomy’s synchronised chest-bulb’s seemed to particularly flash to the surge of the crowd during Radio Ladio.
The antics of several roof climbers had Metronomy’s eyes raised skyward as cheeky lads scaled the crowd for a better view, resulting a well-deserved dedication of the last song to “those guys that got up there.” While a friend described the gig as “the shortest concert ever” at little over an hour, the smiles were well plastered upon the faces of the Metronomy faithful. A good gig and a great time was had by all.
Metronomy – Radio Ladio
Metronomy – The End Of You Too
Metronomy – My Heart Rate Rapid
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Moron Says What?! were extremely entertaining and I thought they played one of the best sets I’ve seen them play. Popstrangers are no where near as interesting as MSW, their songs drag and they have little to no crowd interaction.