Passion Pit/Ellie Goulding
UEA, Norwich
08/03/2010

The Fly hasn’t seen so many teenagers in one place since Topshop’s January sales. The energy tonight is insane, but with pop heavyweights like these on the bill it’s not hard to see why.

Ellie Goulding’s sexy synth pop is up next casting an icy air of glamour over the crowd. The thumping bass and skyscraper vocals are reminiscent of a more accessible Bjork. With Ellie the key word is modesty, and behind the synth façade it’s still easy the spot the simpler, pure pop at her song’s core. She seems almost embarrassed to admit that her album is number one this week before launching into ‘Starry Eyed’ at which point the crowd goes crazier than Gnarls Barkley.

Headliners Passion Pit let loose bold slabs of power party punch for the first half of their set. Songs like ‘The Reeling’ raising the roof and collapsing the floor into a sweaty lusting disco pit of teen mosh. Live the beats are harder and freed of the delicate layering of sounds and the songs leap out and shake you violently by the throat. Michael Angelakos’ wailing disco falsetto is surprisingly strong, however, when it does inevitably falter from its auto-tune pitch perfection it only strengthens the  emotional depth that makes the band so appealing.

For the second half of their set the Boston five-piece hold back and let everybody catch their breath with their gorgeous sing-along anthems ‘Moth’s Wings’ and ‘To Kingdom Come’ before finally letting loose fan favourite ‘Sleepyhead’ for the encore, which provokes a reaction so large the roof gives way and crushes the whole sweaty mob flat dead. Almost.

Connor Crooks