Niamh Madden posted on June 17, 2008 11:40
Metronomy (live in Andrew's Lane Theatre, Dublin)
Review Snapshot: As it turns out, Sunday evening in town was dead. Due to a ghostly combination of rain, bleak wintery weather and possibly it just being Sunday, Metronomy attracted a small crowd. The result was disappointing.
The Cluas Verdict? 5 out of 10
Full Review:
Sunday evening in town was spookily quiet. When we arrived at Andrew's Lane Theatre punctually at 11pm, the lights were on and nobody was home. There were a couple of organisers standing around and when I mentioned I was on the guest-list they didn't even need to consult a list: 'Sure, yep, grand... but come back later, sound check is on now.'
Eek.
Funny vibes from the beginning. When we finally arrived back after 12pm, David Kitt's new project 'Spilly Walker' was bopping about onstage, playing to an almost empty venue. There were about twenty people sitting around. The act was somewhat akin to the new singer-songwriter type: basically an acoustic-based musician who has just discovered their laptop. This fad must end soon (I hope). There's something almost archaic about it: it feels that even though they're trying to go forward with technology it holds back real talent. I mean, how much can you clap for a one-man show with a machine? There might be someone out there who sees Spilly Walker as the next step for singer-songwriters, but to me it came across as stilted and dull.
In fact, the most exciting part of that support slot was the group who were throwing around those multicoloured bouncing balls you used to get in 20p machines outside sweet shops.
When Metronomy came on, the crowd swelled a little and in fairness they really danced like maniacs, despite there being so few people there. I just expected Joseph Mount to be onstage (the solo laptop affair again) but he was joined by musicians Gabriel Stebbing and Oscar Cash. The three of them performed Kraftwerk style dancing with their keyboards, and really got involved for 'Radio Ladio'. For me, it seemed more Kraftwank than Kraftwerk - it felt too much like a re-hash of something that's been done so many times before.
If you have ever been in a Euro shop frantically purchasing cheapo products for festivals, you may have spotted round lights that look like Mentos mints. Metronomy hung these around their necks against black tee-shirts and flicked them on and off at various points during the tracks. The act was a bit too gimmicky for me - it may have been effective in a larger venue but because the venue was so small, the lighting didn't really cut it. However it was a bit of fun and the lit-up guitars were pretty funky too. Again if there had been a larger crowd or a larger venue the effect would have looked a lot more exciting onstage.
Metronomy played a couple of their new tracks including 'Holiday', and the effects were quirky and upbeat. They also turned out some of the delightful circus-style music from 'Pip Paine.' The final track 'You Could Easily Have Me' was definitely the most energetic and bringing the electric guitars into the whole thing woke everyone up.
As Metronomy is one of my favourite artists, I was shocked at the small turn-out and equally astonished that the gig was a disappointment. The small crowd really gave it all they could though and Joseph Mount ended the gig by calling it 'a perfect ending to a perfect day.'
Awww. You can't get a sweeter ending than that.
Niamh Madden
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