What do you get when you mix rap with rock and electronica with pop? A flippin’ good night, that’s what. Glasgow receives this unusual bag of musical tricks when Azealia Banks, Tribes, Metronomy and Two Door Cinema Club come to play at the O2 Academy.
First up is Azealia Banks, a twenty-year-old rapper from New York who used to go under the pseudonym Miss Bank$. Starting the proceedings doesn’t deter her, in fact, she’s taking it all in her stride. She bellows her overnight internet hit ‘212’, rapping over the sharp-edged electro beats. Her filthy lyrics and infectious stage presence catapult the crowd into bouncing around with her slick groove – this place could be mistaken for an all night rave and it’s just after 7pm.
And the party doesn’t end there. With ‘Liquorice’ she speedily raps over a beat by bouncy Belgian production duo Lazy Jay, although the melody bears an uncanny resemblance to the prolific 808 State’s trademark sound. ‘L8R’ is also akin to Missy Elliot’s ‘Pass That Dutch’ but all the same this tune is catchy and the lyrics clarify that Azealia Banks is one smart young lady.
Camden band Tribes are next up with their rocky/indie-edged music, with lead singer Johnny Lloyd sporting a stereotypical rock ‘n roll star leather jacket. There’s no messing with him though, the frontman’s unarguably pulling it off. They play some tracks from their debut album ‘Baby’ which has just been released. ‘Whenever’ starts off with a Stone Roses guitar riff which stays in the background throughout, but overall this song has an American guitar led twang to it and is extremely contagious. ‘When My Day Comes’ also has a North American rock-pop style and the younger members of the crowd are bopping away to this upbeat tune. Tribes will be touring America soon and are sure to be a hit over there if these songs are anything to go by.
If there’s to be a favourite act of the night then the winner is Metronomy. The electronica band steals the show with their quirky and fun stage persona. Their electro-rock synths are amazing and Anna Prior, with her wacky dress sense and perfect drumming skills could leave a girl seething with jealousy.
Metronomy start off with ‘Some Written’, a track from their album ‘English Riviera’. This tune has a sixties keyboard electro sway, the synths and the drums build up into a foot-tapping frenzy near the end.
The crowd’s going wild for Metronomy and ‘Love Underlined’ turns the O2 Academy into a rave again, while ‘Corinne’ has the audience’s “heart tied up with a boom and a bang”. ‘The Look’ has to be mentioned too, it’s such a freestyle, feel good tune. You could be at your lowest ebb in life and one listen to that song will make you want to skip through the fields stark naked.
Lastly it’s Northern Ireland’s finest: Two Door Cinema Club, a brilliant act to finalise proceedings. Singer Alex Trimble announces that it’s the first gig they’ve played in nearly three months and that they’re raring to go. And it certainly appears that way, Two Door Cinema Club are giving it their all. Their first song is ‘Cigarettes In The Theatre’, followed by ‘Undercover Martyn’, both pop/electronica upbeat songs which keep the crowd pulsating and unquestionably fixated. They also play other songs from their album ‘Tourist History’ and two new tunes from their next album.
Nearing the end of their set, Two Door Cinema Club play ‘Something Good Can Work’ which gets the whole place jumping and everyone is singing so loudly it’s drowning out Alex’s faultless vocals. They come back onto the stage for an encore and play ‘I Can Talk’, a perfect fast-paced, oozing with attitude song to end the night.
With all these genres in the one bag, the night could have fallen flat on its face. But it’s clear that these bands are effortlessly brilliant at what they do best: playing some God damn, honest, original and gritty music. That is all.
Words by Morven MacNeil
Photo by Euan Robertson
