The NME Radar Tour: Stoke Sugarmill: 17th May
The checked shirts are out in mass tonight for the NME Radar Tour at Stoke Sugarmill. On entry my ears are greeted by the sound of a southern voice saying “Good Evening Stoke, We are The Magistrates”. On first look they are typically indie dressed, skinnies, shirts tucked in, and pointy shoes. First track 'Make This Work' is a mix between Justin Timberlake on his album Justified and the vocals of Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy, with the added bonus of an Electro synth. And you can clearly hear the influences from the likes of Prince and Talking Heads on the track 'Heartbreak'. The live sound is fantastic, very crisp and clinical. The Magistrates are very much alive and kicking. Don’t Miss Out.
Penultimate band, Heartbreak take to the stage and first reactions are mixed among the crowd. However, when first song 'We're Back' begins with an eerie synth and thumping drums, it’s very clear the crowd are taking a like to them already. Despite sounding like something to come out of the Eurovision song contest, front man Sebastian Muravchix doesn’t seem to care what people think. His ego fed by the thumping rhythms that make up Heartbreak and his stage presence dominant, it seems nothing is able to get in his way. The bliss of disco music is back, courtesy of Heartbreak. I urge you to see this band based on performance alone. Whatever follows is a bonus.
Around 10.20pm the lights dim, there is a mass of shuffling and eagerly awaiting fans. La Roux finally emerges, only to be greeted by an eruption of noise, you can tell this is what the fans have been waiting for the entirety of the night. La Roux, real name Elly Jackson, sports a cleaner, sharper look then her usual in photo shoots for NME. A blue fitted blazer, oversized maroon shirt accessorised with a gold medallion, and skinny jeans. However, her real feature is that amazing red haired quiff, which so many of tonight’s crowd have attempted to replicate.
Opening with debut single 'Quicksand' to the reaction of a very lively crowd, it is hard to tell if La Roux is actually live as the opener is so perfect. The synthesizers and sampled drums give the impression the 80’s sound is well and truly back, and it seems everyone is fully embracing it. Hailed by NME as ‘The final word in synth – pop generation', they are 100% right, and by time the new single 'Bulletproof' is belted out I have not even an inch of room to maneuver. With a very hot and sweaty crowd enjoying the pure pop rhythms with the overtones of a stabby synth, 'Bulletproof' is going down a treat. It seems to be turning into a rather fun filled night and at this rate we’ll all be wearing florescent headbands if we're not careful. As for La Roux her confidence is growing with every song that passes, now jumping from speaker to speaker and raving like there is no tomorrow, it seems like she is enjoying herself. Nevertheless to the neutral onlooker the songs appear to sound very alike and her flawless but rather shrill voice could get tiresome. I was surprised however to hear a soft and angelic voice when the words “Stoke, Are we enjoying ourselves?” came out of La Roux’s mouth. This was certainly worlds apart from the style in which she sings. Final song 'In For The Kill' gets, by far, the best crowd reaction of the night, with the crowd reciting every word. The noise was electric, so much so I could hardly hear myself think. All I know is that addictive synth rhythm has got me moving like never before. The crowd are actually reminiscent of what you would expect at a Metallica concert, diving around, on shoulders, and even crowd surfing topless.
I’m sure everyone at The Sugarmill would agree this was one of the best atmospheres and performances to grace 2009. I caught up with La Roux (Elly Jackson) after the show, and asked her how she enjoyed her performance. “It was good, it’s hard on a Sunday night though, when everyone’s tired”. She certainly put on a fantastic show that lacked any type of fatigue from all aspects. I have a feeling if every show is like this for La Roux, she is onto a winner. A definite live recommendation.
Words: Ben Gilligan
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