News / / 12.11.12

ALT-J

Concorde 2, Brighton | November 4th

You’d be forgiven for having preconceptions of pretentiousness around Alt-J; a Mac keyboard shortcut for a name suggests some kind of elitist, art-school-only set up. But this simply isn’t the case. The name comes from a love of maths and equations, as bassist Gwil Sainsbury explains: “in mathematical equations [the triangle] is used to show change”. 

This love of all things precise and formulated is certainly reflected in their sound. There is a measure and control to Alt-J, they rarely stray outside the lines. But nerds they are not. Frontman Joe Newman oozes self assurance, with a sharp posture and a jagged sway of the shoulders suggesting the swagger of a man on his third or fourth album cycle, not his first.

Having scooped the Mercury prize last week for their five-years-in-the making album An Awesome Wave, the band are to be catapulted headfirst onto the post-award rollercoaster of media attention and inevitable criticism. Despite this, there is an understated air of modesty as the band make their way onto the stage and quickly launch into Intro, a short but delicate prelude which fails to conjure much excitement from the crowd. However, as they edge slowly into the serene and hypnotically ambient Tesselate, Newman visibly relaxes, finding his stride.

It is this overwhelming precision that sets the theme of the night, from the pitch perfect harmonies, to the waves of synth and enticing rhythms. Whatever experimental territory Alt-J step into, they do so with a curious orderliness. Even a cover of Still Dre / Kylie’s Slow remains a stoical and reserved affair.

It is the faintly melancholic Matilda, about halfway through the set, that delivers the night’s highlight. With lyrics drawn from the penultimate scene of Luc Besson’s Leon, in which Jean Reno places a grenade in Gary Oldman’s hand, the crowd stands transfixed, chanting along to Newman’s hushed yelps of “And she needs you / this is for Matilda”. There is slight panic when, halfway through the song, hands start to appear in the air, forming triangles with thumbs and forefingers, for a similar meme has been adopted by fans of not-so-endearing indie pop outfit Bastille.

The haunting Breezeblocks meanders along deliciously, gathering pace before finally we are left with Sainsbury and Newman repeatedly chanting “Please don’t go / I love you so”, a reference to Where The Wild Things Are. With such moments of songwriting eccentricity, it is easy to forgive Alt-J for their reserve. Moreover, these boys are endearingly polite. On receiving the Mercury Prize, whilst many launch into gushing platitudes, the band simply thanked their mums.

 

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Words: Harriet Chavasse

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