Anyone who didn't go to the gig may be somewhat bemused and puzzled as to what this picture is, but do not worry, it's Jamie Reynolds sporting a woolly Slipknot-esque hat which all the members of the band were wearing as they came on stage before launching into the first song of the night, Flashover.
The HMV Forum, a small, somewhat cosy gig venue in a secluded part of Kentish Town was filled with the scent of adolescent sweat as Klaxons set out to send the crowd into a frenzy with hits from Mercury-prize winning album Myths of the Near Future and recent album Surfing the Void.
The band, with their astronomical lyrics and space-focused songs play track after track where there's just no stopping, there's no breather for the fans as Klaxons go from hit to high-tempo hit and there's not much of a break in between.
It was always going to be a hard task for Reynolds and co. to better the first album, especially with such sing-along anthems like Golden Skans and It's Not Over Yet but also fast-paced Atlantis to Interzone, Magick and Gravity's Rainbow which will always win the crowd over, but Surfing The Void has attempted to reach the heady heights they've set themselves. Echoes, which they ended with before encore, combines thudding piano notes with a chorus so brilliantly catchy, you can't help but belt your heart out to it.
While the angst-ridden teens love such belting tunes, it would be nice to see a more slower tempo song from Klaxons with more dexterity in tempo and lyrics, although the second album does seemingly comes close to this, the recently released single of the new album, Twin Flames, is fantastically atmospheric and Venusia carries a steady beat with a belting chorus.
It will be even more of a challenge to produce an even better third album, what with the band's love for astronomy and the like, and perhaps even harder to blend this in with something a bit maturer, but with gigs like this, the fans really won't care.
7/10.
