The Troxy is a grand art deco venue in the East End of London, a place of grandeur, a place where something special and momentous should happen. For three nights it was the location for the Campfire Trails, an event celebrating folk music, which over the three days featured performances from bands such as Mumford & Sons, White Rabbits and Adam Green. On the second night I had the pleasure of seeing Wild Beasts.
Wild Beasts have been around for a few years now, but have never really got the commercial coverage they deserve. Two Dancers, their second album, has seen them grow from an ok band with huge potential to an extraordinarily amazing band, and the album has been one of my favourites of the year - one that I just could not stop playing. Personally, I think they were the closest rivals to The xx for the Mercury Music Prize. So, I hoped they would live up to my expectations live. They certainly did not disappoint.
The set opened with ‘The Fun Powder Plot’, the first track on Two Dancers, and the audience were in awe of the presence and charisma of Hayden, the lead singer, and his countertenor voice. This gives Wild Beasts an unusual and unique presence which distinguishes them from other bands. The set continued with the band surrounded by a mist of dry ice which was fittingly eerie for songs such as ‘We Still Got The Taste Dancin’ On Our Tongues’. This spread and covered the audience, almost involving them, and thus encouraging them to erupt into a mass sing-along for songs such as ‘All The King’s Men’ and ‘Hooting and Howling’. As a band they were enticing and exciting to watch, and most certainly more than justified their appearance in a grand venue. They announced to an appreciative and eager audience that they were going into the studio in the following week to begin work on their third album - the future holds something promising and special to look forward to, and perhaps they will then receive the recognition that they more than deserve.
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