Metronomy

An unlikely success story, Metronomy the band came about by accident when Joseph Mount was called upon to perform his bedroom/studio creations in the live arena. And so Metronomy was re-birthed, and they just keep on growing in stature, helped perhaps by the recent experience of supporting Coldplay in enormo-domes in the USA… Tonight though is a rather more intimate, but special event of sorts, a one-off unveiling of tracks from their forthcoming album ‘Love Letters’, an opportunity to road-test these new songs in Brighton, their former home. It’s an album that, judging by the live versions performed here, is a continuation of their relatively lo-fi, yet super-tight, electro-pop hybrid, the five piece band (four piece in the studio) providing the signature Metronomy sound of taut bass, trebly guitars, keyboard stabs, woozy yet clear vocals, and inventive percussion, all crucially aided live by their inventive lighting, matching outfits, and perhaps most crucially of all, the often memorable melodies that permeate their work. Older numbers like ‘Heartbreaker’, ‘The Look’ and ‘Holiday’ are of course well received, but newer tunes like the Motown stomping ‘Love Letters’ are plainly winners. Definitely a little ring rusty tonight, and playing to an audience that included many friends and family as opposed to true Metronomy fans, the aptly-named Metronomy will surely click once the proper touring kicks in.

The Old Market, 29 January 2014
Rating:
Jeff Hemmings