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Chemical Brothers, Brixton Academy, March 18 2005
With ‘Push The Button’ hailed as a welcome return to form and multiple nights at the Brixton Academy selling out faster than you can say “house music’s dead”, the future looks secure for the Chemical Brothers. The only nagging feeling is that there seems to be very few tricks left up their decade-old electronic sleeves.
First up though are the psychedelic guitar-toting Secret Machines. Supporting the Brothers by personal request, those expecting noodling space-rock will be disappointed. As the opening riff of ‘Sad And Lonely’ peels over the PA it becomes clear that the Texas trio sound absolutely huge. Modest, yet effective lights and a monstrously tight groove ensure that those arriving early aren’t disappointed and the atmosphere is set perfectly for the drone of the Chemical Brothers’ intro tape.
It’s a familiar set: ‘Hey Boy Hey Girl’ kicks
off an evening of household classic interspersed with material culled from the band’s latest album. So we get ‘Music:Response’, ‘Block Rockin’ Beats’ and ‘It Doesn’t Matter’, each intro greeted by screams and accompanied by a suitably monochrome light show. Teapots explode and silhouettes strut every now and then combed by the same green lasers employed during last year’s Glastonbury performance (and incredibly no less intense).New tracks ‘Galvanise’ and ‘Believe’ sit well in the mix in the 90-minute set, yet still manage to sound fresh. In fact, the only low point is the now standard extended closer ‘Private Psychedelic Reel’. So well known are the ebbs and drops that the track sounds stilted and tired, as if a new twist is required to keep the audience guessing. There’s some jumping around from Tom and Ed, and some stunning visuals but in essence this is the same show the Chemical Brothers have been peddling for a number of years. It’s a great show though, and maybe the crowd don’t want to be kept guessing, but it begs the question: how long can the dynamic duo keep up this momentum when dance music falls down around their ears.
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