Throughout the set, frontman Will Rees described The Mystery Jets' 10th gig at New Slang as 'a homecoming' whilst summing up its relationship with the reknown Indie night in the secluded London suburb as 'a love affair'. Both of those terms imply a sort of intimacy, and intimacy there indeed was - be it in the form of the small venue, or the constant moshing, pulling and face to face encounters with other sweaty red faced school leavers who had clearly had the same idea as me.
That's not to say that a spot of moshing was going to ruin the experience of seeing one of my favourite bands live, let alone seeing a live show for the first time since September. The opening number "Someone Purer" was a slightly surprising, melancholic choice of song for the occasion, but the reaction from the crowd was completely opposite in tone, with moshpits opening up like gladiatorial arenas and arms frantically reaching the ceiling at the onset of every chorus. And this was just the opening number. The guitar riffs being belted out by Blaine Harrison and Will Rees were as good as anything and added the extra edge to the live performance, while the latter's apparel was clearly influenced by the band's Texan travels in preparation for the Radlands album. The biggest hits of Serotonin were played afterwards, injecting the already hyped crowd with yet more Serotonin (technically one of the only things you do enjoy).
The process of selecting a lineup is always a tough one for most bands, and this show was probably no exception. Getting the balance right between giving the usual crowd-pleasers a rest and giving your new stuff some limelight always carries its hazards. So it was understandable that most of the songs from Radlands, which, save the choruses, might well have been obscure to all but hardcore fans (myself not included in that contingent) received a funny, or crowd-indulging introduction. It's a shame that the endless moshing and drunken singing along drowned out some of the lyrics at this point (although the crowd's substitution for Laura Marling's part in Young Love was very helpful), as out of all of the albums, Radlands contains some of the thoughtful, witty, and downright clever song writing (must have been all that Texan air) that the band has produced, and as with most things are executed best in the hands of the masters.
For a set in such a small venue, an encore was, again, unexpected, but Will Rees's apparent ignorance at the crowd's calls for 2 Doors Down ("What's that guys? Never heard of it before! You want to hear Two Door Cinema Club?") was quickly proved groundless as they tore it up with Half In Love With Elizabeth, 2 Doors Down and Alice Springs. Let's hope that the unpretentious, down to earth attitude that the band have will continue to shape their success, and that their new material, come when it may, equals the hits and highs they have so deservedly hit on the head so far.
That's not to say that a spot of moshing was going to ruin the experience of seeing one of my favourite bands live, let alone seeing a live show for the first time since September. The opening number "Someone Purer" was a slightly surprising, melancholic choice of song for the occasion, but the reaction from the crowd was completely opposite in tone, with moshpits opening up like gladiatorial arenas and arms frantically reaching the ceiling at the onset of every chorus. And this was just the opening number. The guitar riffs being belted out by Blaine Harrison and Will Rees were as good as anything and added the extra edge to the live performance, while the latter's apparel was clearly influenced by the band's Texan travels in preparation for the Radlands album. The biggest hits of Serotonin were played afterwards, injecting the already hyped crowd with yet more Serotonin (technically one of the only things you do enjoy).
The process of selecting a lineup is always a tough one for most bands, and this show was probably no exception. Getting the balance right between giving the usual crowd-pleasers a rest and giving your new stuff some limelight always carries its hazards. So it was understandable that most of the songs from Radlands, which, save the choruses, might well have been obscure to all but hardcore fans (myself not included in that contingent) received a funny, or crowd-indulging introduction. It's a shame that the endless moshing and drunken singing along drowned out some of the lyrics at this point (although the crowd's substitution for Laura Marling's part in Young Love was very helpful), as out of all of the albums, Radlands contains some of the thoughtful, witty, and downright clever song writing (must have been all that Texan air) that the band has produced, and as with most things are executed best in the hands of the masters.
For a set in such a small venue, an encore was, again, unexpected, but Will Rees's apparent ignorance at the crowd's calls for 2 Doors Down ("What's that guys? Never heard of it before! You want to hear Two Door Cinema Club?") was quickly proved groundless as they tore it up with Half In Love With Elizabeth, 2 Doors Down and Alice Springs. Let's hope that the unpretentious, down to earth attitude that the band have will continue to shape their success, and that their new material, come when it may, equals the hits and highs they have so deservedly hit on the head so far.
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