M83 - Nottingham Trent FM Arena

Camden Crawl, March 2008: Having waited for over four hours in the Bullet Bar, hungover and sweating, a man who looks like an extra from Wayne's World walks onstage to say that M83 will be delayed.

The venue is filled close to capacity and the heat is so intense a girl in front of me almost passes out. The band loads in and I see the set list, which features all my favorite songs, spanning their back catalogue. The wait seems totally worth it.

That is until the band set up half of their equipment and it becomes seemingly apparent that something is wrong. Stereotypical roadie #4 comes on again and says the band have forgotten a piece of gear which, following the completely improvised set Anthony Gonzalez plays, must have been crucial. How disappointing... Fast-forward six months and to my surprise M83 are billed as support to Kings of Leon’s arena tour as it visits Nottingham Trent FM Arena. Having never been to a show in an arena I’m excited at the prospect of experiencing one of my favorite bands play in a setting which, if all variables considered worked in their favour, could completely compliment their sound.

After a long wait the band takes to the stage, launching into an instrumental opener with their huge sound filling the vast depths of the venue. With their ‘Saturdays=Youth’ album having been released earlier this year I’m expectant of new material being aired, and this comes early in the set with singles ‘Kim & Jessie’ and ‘Graveyard Girl’. These songs work amazingly and the unexpected direction of the new album is fully justified with the display put on tonight. The poppier nature of ‘Saturdays=Youth’ could have easily lent itself to a more audience-friendly set, but fortunately M83 don't compromise their sound for the headliners’ crowd and indulge themselves completely with a fantastic extended version of set highlight ‘Teen Angst’. This is where the band are at their best, combining thumping sequenced synths, shoe-gaze guitars and the soaring vocals of Morgan Kibby to produce one of the most euphoric live experiences I've ever had. Whilst they may not win over the whole crowd tonight, I leave completely satisfied. Even if that set list had changed a little.

Words: James Spence

(James Spence is keyboardist/vocalist with Sheffield progressive-hardcore five-piece Rolo Tomassi, whose 'Hysterics' album of 2008 is one of the year's best domestic debuts, ranking at number one in Thrash Hits' top ten albums of the year. Find the superbly frenetic band on MySpace HERE.)