The Black Keys
O2 Academy, Glasgow
28/10/2010

A monster drum kit is moved to the front of the stage with drummer Patrick Carney soon behind it powering his way through ‘Thickfreakness’ and ‘Girl Is On My Mind’. Singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach keeps the chat to a minimum, passing comment only on the Glasgow weather’s similarities to their native Akron, Ohio. So it’s clear from the get-go then, a band as focused as The Black Keys tonight don’t need showbiz.

The first half of this O2 Academy show is a survey of the band’s first four albums, and the great tunes come thick and fast. Carney plays the drums like he’s propelling the kit through space, the drum riser miraculously remaining stationary, while Auerbach plays guitar with skill and swagger but no overt rock posturing. The middle section finds the duo augmented by a bassist and keyboard player for tracks from latest album ‘Brothers’, their most ambitious record to date. The tight, funky ‘Everlasting Light’ sees a mirror ball rise from the back of the stage and scatter disco glitter around, and ‘Next Girl’ shows how far The Black Keys’ sound has evolved from the deceptively simple blues of their early albums. During ‘Chop And Change’, their contribution to the Twilight Soundtrack, Auerbach plays guitar with a maraca, and it’s perhaps the only misfiring moment in what is overall a supremely assured live show.

‘Ten Cent Pistol’ takes it back to the two man line-up – all effective blues breakdowns and strategic pauses – while the first-album blueprint for their brilliance, ‘I’ll Be Your Man’ from debut ‘The Big Come Up’ gets a warm reception. ‘I Got Mine’ and the raunchy slide of encore ‘Your Touch’ are equally obliterating, while ‘Sinister Kid’ draws attention back to just how hard Carney is hitting those drums – the man seems to breathe in rhythm. The Black Keys are that rare thing tonight, a band six albums into their career who are still utterly fresh.

Lucy Brouwer