TV On The Radio@ Brixton Academy 13/07/09

TV On The Radio are one of those bands you suspect some people pretend to like to seem cool. Y'know the ones, Animal Collective, Burial etc. Sure they are good and people like them but there's a healthy group who see dropping choice names as a short cut to credibility. Perhaps this explains TVOTR selling out Brixton Academy to it's capacity or perhaps it is down to the fact that the Brooklyn band are possibly the finest band of the decade.

A heady claim it may be but look for another band who have evolved, experimented and grown as consistently and confidently as this band and you will be grasping at a small few. Taking to the stage as heroes before they play a note the band take it all in their stride. Guitarist and producer du jour Dave Sitek stays mute throughout, swaying into his amp with an impractical wind chime attached to his guitar neck. Similarly, Kyp Malone is a static performer hiding behind both his instrument and huge amounts of hair. The heart and soul of TVOTR however belongs to Tunde Adebimpe, a man with a voice that moistens and warms ('Shout Me Out') whilst never veering to far from something near apoplexy ('Red Dress', 'Dancing Shoes').

Playing a set which leans heavily on 2008's 'Dear Science' TVOTR are in sleek festival mode and play through the hits with vigour. Malone takes over vocal duties on the bouncing 'Golden Age'
and again on 'Crying'. His falsetto tones might not be as rich as Adebimpe's but they offer an interesting friction and antithesis to the performance. Amidst guest appearances from support act Noisettes (who come on to play percussion in the penultimate song) and a stunning run through 'Desperate Youth...' cut 'The Wrong Way' the 6 men whip the crowd into a frenzy, we tap feet and nod heads one moment then look on contemplatively the next as the bi-polar extremities of the music rear their equally attractive heads.

The evening's performance ends with a positively tribal version of 'Staring At The Sun', the room is united in a visceral sense of community, this is the sound of apocalyptic music being brought to you by true talent and all lit by a piercing red light show. The band leave heroes, all future shows have a damn high bar to leap now.

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140 characters

The new albums around at the moment reviewed in 140 characters or less, Twitter style.

Mumford and Sons- The Cave and The Open Sea

Rounding off their trio of EP's with their finest song to date ('The Cave') and standard B-sides. All well and good but an album now please?

Asher Roth- Asleep In The Bread Aisle

Laid back and confident but ultimately shallow. Will sell well to Uni students who identify with being a middle class urban wannabe.

Camera Obscura- My Maudlin Career.

Beautiful throughout- the Scottish sextet should hopefully achieve mainstream adulation with this, their finest work to date.

Dirty Projectors- Bitte Orca

It's no coincidence that the female led tracks are the best here. As intriguing as it is frustrating Bitte Orca is its own worst enemy.

Golden Silvers- True Romance

Not as good as the demos promised- have ruined 'Arrows Of Eros'. However the twisted song-writing aligns them nicely as Mystery Jets Jr.

Noisettes- Wild Young Hearts

A nice mix of glossy pop songs alongside retro-soul. It's bizarre they are now a 'big' band but nice while it lasts. Car ad song still bad.

PJ Harvey & John Cale- A Woman A Man Walked By

Black Hearted Love promised a return to guitar slaying form, however this is a mish-mash of her recent output. For hardcore fans only.

The Virgins- The Virgins

Utter rubbish. Pointless wannabe hipster (imagine that?!) preening. Wants to be The Strokes sounds more like a really bad 80's boy-band.

That was all a bit negative wasn't it? Oh well, hopefully forthcoming albums from Jarvis, Patrick Wolf, Passion Pit and Maximo Park will impress. Not to forget the already reviewed Maccabees, Horrorsand Metric.

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New: The Noisettes- Wild Young Hearts

Wild Young Hearts

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