Phoenix

Koko,

London

01/06/09

This is undoubtedly

London‘s ‘hot ticket’ tonight. That’s by no means a guarantee of quality, but percentages dictate that once in a while the people get it right – and the sudden ubiquity of

Phoenix suggests their time may finally have arrived.

Phoenix are a rare beast, with steady but marked improvement with each album, and with Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix representing their peak thus far – despite the rightly-ridiculed title. It’s positively bursting with triumphant, intelligent pop songs, and the seemingly double-capacity audience squashed into this great but impractical venue have properly got the

Phoenix horn.

With whippersnappers Delphic generating excitement all too rare in support bands (we’ve encountered some shockers recently – hello Malakai and Noisettes, hell fire…), people are occupying literally every square foot that offers anything approaching a decent view, and bugger the health and safety issues. Rewind to the soul-funk-r&b pop of ‘United’ or ‘Alphabetical’ and you’ve got a different proposition altogether, albeit not without its own charm.

Guitars now take centre stage – in triplicate – along with the driving keyboard groove, and it’s a fearsome yet ultra-tight racket, giving vocalist Thomas Mars the freedom to belt out the storming, cultured compositions. The atmosphere is as electric as the band, and it really feels like you’re witnessing something special – indeed, the band seem overwhelmed almost, and when you encounter something this exhilirating it really should be savoured.

 

Andy Slocombe