A lot has been said about Arcade Fire’s latest record, Reflektor, and not all of it complimentary. Certain diehards lamented, and continue lamenting, the transition from the underdog indie outfit they were back on the now seminal Funeral, to the supposedly over-populated, self-indulgent, make-up clad rabble that appears at Earl’s Court tonight in support of Reflektor. This change of image is only aggravated with the insistence beforehand that all attendees dress up in either fancy dress or formal attire, an arrogant and pretentious request according to some. Other devotees worried about how this risky new style would translate from the security of a New York recording studio to a faceless British arena; any doubts were quashed as soon as the lights went down and the curtain was raised. Earl’s court was, for a night, transformed into a 1970s discotheque, with the sight of the best part of 20,000 fans in black tie, tiger onesies and banana costumes producing a staggering communal atmosphere not often felt in a venue of this nature.
From the outset, the band exhibit such raw energy and enthusiasm that it’s impossible for the audience not to be swept away with them; opening track ‘Reflektor’ is eight minutes of unadulterated disco, and the often forgettable ‘Flashbulb Eyes’ that follows is hypnotic in both its meandering pace and visual accompaniments. The set that follows is a beautiful balance between new and old material: the euphoric coupling of ‘Neighborhood 3 (Power Out)’ and ‘Rebellion (Lies)’ are still enough to get any cynic crying with joy, with new track ‘Joan of Arc’ instilling a similar level of ecstasy. But it’s the more reserved numbers where the band really shows how far it’s come. Win Butler’s haunting vocals on ‘The Suburbs’ stun the audience into silence, and the intimacy between Butler and wife Régine Chassange, singing on a separate stage in the middle of the arena, on ‘It’s Never Over’ is quite remarkable in its beauty. There’s even room for Ian McCulloch (of Echo and the Bunnymen) to guest on a cover of his own band’s ‘The Cutter’, a touch that few would have expected.
The encore, as it sometimes can, does not drop the pace. The blistering guitar riff in ‘Normal Person’ again whips the crowd into a frenzy, with confetti canons accompanying the climax of ‘Here Comes The Night Time’. The night ends where the band begun, with original breakthrough track ‘Wake Up’, a fitting reminder that, despite all the smoke and mirrors, they are still the same awkward group of nobodies they were when Funeral erupted into the music world. This shows encompasses Arcade Fire at their imperious best: the intricacy of their new material combined with the raw passion of their old creates a show so ecstatic that, despite its two hour run time, ends far too soon. And with student tickets priced at £33.00 for their Hyde Park comeback (July 3) to come, it’s almost tempting to do it all over again.
