Django Django live review
Posted on: 2018-03-28
Our rating:
You're talking about a Knickerbocker glory of the 60's beach boys layering, 70's psych rock, 80's bouncy synth and 90's dancehall - there really is something for everyone, you just have to dig.
On Saturday night, festival favourites Django Django hit Bristol's SWX venue. This is the penultimate British leg of their tour before heading off to the US, where an extensive schedule including Coachella awaits them.
The band are touring 'Marble Skies', their third studio album, released on 28th January this year.
Ever since their self-titled debut album was nominated for a mercury prize in 2012, Django Django have garnered a loyal set of followers who seemed
to have accompanied them through their musical growth. Fellow synth mongers Alt-J - who pipped the Django boys to the post that year, have become more experimental and comparably, Django Django are spreading their wings into a more mainstream sound. Which can only be a good thing in terms of garnering even more adoring fans.
The crowd is met with an impressive stage set up, with three brightly back-lit coloured arches, reminiscent of a church. Which made sense – as the sold out show was crammed with worshipers. In stark contrast to a lot of recent gigs in Bristol – which seem to be littered with student patrons – tonight is a solid late 20’s to 30’s crowd almost in it’s entirety. Understandable when at their height, their hit "Hail Bop" was featured in the infamous FIFA 13 and "Waveforms" graced the ears of Grand Theft Auto V players in 2013.
The set list is a solid mix of old and new, which is obviously a comfort for die hard fans - but the boys prove there is nothing to be apprehensive about when the sing along choruses and bouncy bass lines balanced with the sweet falsetto vocals of Vincent Neff.
The boys perform with a confidence that's telling of their years on tour and the millions of lit up faces they've witnessed bouncing around a muddy field to their noise, yet with a dignity and gratitude that befits old masters presenting new tracks. They've come a long way since the golden age of indie and now almost resemble a mainstream band, however, their stage presence is comforting and familiar, there aren't any gimmicks and they chat the crowd like old friends.
Most notable track of the night was probably the slow and sexy “Surface to Air”. Rebecca Taylor performs female vocals - you may remember her from folk duo 'Slow Club'. She had just played support earlier in the evening with her new outfit 'Self Esteem'. During the track she chants sweetly over a crackling snare drum.
When trying to describe the 'new sound' of Django Django - they are far from their clever nerd electro (although they do still have a track called 'beam me up'). The new album is near impossible to describe and pin down - but also reminiscent of every track you heard while you were growing up in the back seat of your mum's volvo. You're talking about a Knickerbocker glory of the 60's beach boys layering, 70's psych rock, 80's bouncy synth and 90's dancehall - there really is something for everyone, you just have to dig.
Article by:
Talicza has only lived in Bristol for three years, but has been reviewing gigs, shows and albums for decades as well as writing her own true crime podcast Transatlantic Crime.
