SUBTRKT at Warehouse Project

Albert Hall, Manchester

We’ve seen various incarnations of SBTRKT over the years. There was Generation 1 SBTRKT who hid behind the mask and shyly launched Wildfire on unsuspecting audiences. Then there was Generation 2 – the DJ – where he could be found (still masked) dancing around the stage at festivals dropping Swimming Pools and Started From The Bottom to mid-afternoon crowds waiting to see Azealia Banks or Disclosure. Now we’ve reached stage 3 and SBTRKT is stood in front of his elaborate stage show at Manchester’s inimitable Albert Hall. He’s wearing jeans, a sweatshirt and the mask, and he’s taken to the mic for an obligatory “Manchester! How are you doing!”. For all his airtight beats, winning melodies and myriad of collaborators, SBTRKT still isn’t sure what to do with his songs, but this one-off WHP export was proof that they can still triumph in the right hands.

Joined by a live drummer, the rumbling subtleties of new cuts like NEW DORP. NEW YORK and Higher occasionally ran the risk of being swallowed up, but the hooks managed to battle through the clamour and keep his adoring fan base onside. These are strong, syrupy singles that reverberated around the space and gave his sophomore album Wonder Where We Land a tangible sense of boundless ambition and intrigue.

A standout moment came in the form of a post-encore recital of his Lotus Flower remix where Yorke’s vocals rumbled against SBTRKT’s elasticated rework. Look Away from the new LP which features Caroline Polachek of Chairlift sounded more haunting live than on record as the decadent light show carefully illuminated Manchester’s renovated chapel. These are moments of real colourful entertainment that had been masterfully situated in this unique venue by the bods at WHP.

SBTRKT still doesn’t seem sure of (ironically) quite where he’s landing, but when the response is this unanimous, the sceptics might as well hand in their pre-calculated takedowns at the door. There is no denying that people love it. The chorus of Pharaohs is sung along to like a bonafide megastar cut. It’s all part of the SBTRKT brainteaser; the crossover from late-night soundtracker to Radio 1 sweetheart. In the sweaty surroundings of Store Street it might have seemed to claggy, but by placing the disguised hit-architect as a headline act at his own show, SBTRKT was able to stand tall as a victor of the ongoing widening of dance music culture. When Robbie Williams is chumming up to Avicii and Jeff Mills is looking the other way, it’s worth being thankful that a genuine bedroom producer is flirting with the echelons of superstardom.