Alt-J kicked off their short seaside venue tour here in Brighton following the release of their third album ‘Relaxer’. A seemingly much quieter affair than their ferociously popular and critically acclaimed debut and follow up, we were curious how it would translate to the stage .
In support is indie rock trio Blaenavon who first caught our attention at Hotel Pelirocco during Great Escape 2016. They stuck out then as a band to watch, and they take on a venue of this size in their stride. Frontman and guitarist Ben Gregory welcomes the friendly response from front-row fans who sing songs back like the brooding, insanely catchy ‘Orthodox Man‘ and driving ‘My Bark Is Your Bite’.
Like a coiled spring, you keep waiting for him to burst out into guitar riffs and shred among a mess of long hair, accompanied by their bassist who doesn’t hang in the shadows and instead strides across the Brighton Centre stage filling it with commanding bass lines.
Alt-J take to the stage and find their places, every band member divided by wall of thin strip lighting and backed by light panels. It’s a gradual build with light dripping like rain and waterfalls around them, as they work up to the choral-like vocal introduction to ‘3WW’. With the crowd besotted by a slow burn atmosphere rising to a drum and strobe high, an intricate light show grows and fills the venue. Alt-J are shrouded in fog and blue light; it’s a striking start.
After a swift hello to the crowd, they move into classics such as ‘Something Good’ and ‘Tessellate’. Strong drumming cuts through and often drives their sound, while the distinctive voices of Joe Newman and Gus Unger-Hamilton do not falter. Despite some of the quieter details getting lost, their confidence is clear as they bring some songs almost to a stop, only to bring it all back as the layers build up and draw you in. Mesmerising the crowd, it’s almost a primal affair at times throughout recent singles ‘Deadcrush’ and ‘In Cold Blood’.
Midway through ‘The Gospel of John Hurt’ the whole band are bathed in green with shimmering projections of forest and woodland behind them, a keen reminder of their psychedelic appeal. From the more gentle ‘Matilda’ with the crowd joining in, they ease in to the contrasting ‘Taro’ with the jaunty rhythms getting the crowd dancing the most they’ve done all night.
Bathed in red as white beams surround all the band members, the rumbling bass of ‘Flitzpleasure’ interspersed with elegant guitar playing is taken almost down to silence once more, before the bass and vocals kick in, again accompanied by overwhelming strobes that linger as they leave the stage briefly. Returning for an encore of ‘Left Hand Free’ and crowd-pleasing early single ‘Breezeblocks’. The whole night has been a triumphant way to kick off a tour.
The Brighton Centre, Monday 4th September 2017
Words and photos by Mike Tudor
