There is no chance of dancing yourself clean in a venue as soaked in sweat and booze as this. But that will not stop LCD Soundsystem from energising a heaving Brixton crowd. A heatwave cannot stop this crowd. Nothing can. An incredible experience can be had, should you stay hydrated, at O2 Brixton. An eight-night residency which is closer to completion than it is to its dawn, draws out the very best of the James Murphy-fronted group. They are nothing short of miracle workers, another high-class band of misfit figureheads, unlikely frontmen and outstanding range. They are in a different class, and they prove as much with a setlist proving each of their songs, even their latest release X-Ray Eyes, is a hit. They once suggested they do not do hits, but the band are, without question, in possession of more than their fair share.
LCD Soundsystem has a rich back catalogue and makes use of it here. Their showcase of songs, be it the American Dream return or the early days of their self-titled album, is all present. There is a dependence not on the obvious hits but on a more measured assessment of where the band is in the modern-day cultural sphere. New Body Rhumba and X-Ray Eyes are marvellous additions to the set and receive as warm a response from the crowd as the likes of Someone Great and North American Song. Even England gets a pop from the sweating attendees, miraculous given the great deal of energy and perspiration which comes with raising your arms here. This is a band electrified by a contemporary purpose. Their best works, the likes of New York I Love You, But You’re Bringing Me Down, hold a current-day edge. They may be on the other side of the Pacific, but it is not lost on the band that a trillionaire king is in power.
For any LCD Soundsystem fan who fell in love with the group at a time when a return seemed impossible, these Brixton shows are a must-see. American Dream, Oh Baby, and Tonite are a triple bill of outstanding songs which can hold their own amid those tantalising highs of Dance Yrself Clean and All My Friends. Crucial to any set is the surprise a band can conjure. Losing My Edge is rapturously received with its Robot Rock adaptation, suggesting the band was behind the times even before they got ahead. But here they are now, far beyond the contemporaries who mimic the Murphy-fronted sounds. Their ever-changing, never-ending list of musicians they aspire to be as influential as has them overwhelm some of the acts mentioned, in either longevity or entertainment. Those crowd-pleasing moments are interwoven with lighting spectacles, a wonderfully present disco ball and a sense that, for all the heat and sweat and booze, the party atmosphere cannot be broken. Working Men’s Club provides a phenomenal opener too. Enter, play, leave. Quality assured.
No band can make plain adaptations of their songs to the stage. There has to be some flicker of change, be it with a new octave range from the performer or a change of the lyrics to address the modern world. LCD Soundsystem are, for a band insisting they are nowhere near their peers, performing at a capacity which would make their influences envious. The Brixton crowd may be a sweating mass, but it is a fantastic place to experience the likes of Tribulations and Dance Yrself Clean. Few artists could sell out an eight-night residency at the Brixton. Fewer still could consistently change the setlist, the moving parts while the machine is still on, and receive such rapturous response. LCD Soundsystem builds on an utterly brilliant spectacle ahead of new music, whenever that may be. There is no need to rush. The hits still sound as brilliant as they always did.
