Innerpartysystem

The O2 Academy 2 (previously the Carling academy for those yet to be informed) is not the greatest venue England’s ‘second city’ has to offer. Isolated in a minute corner of its larger counterpart, Academy 2 is a notoriously difficult venue to perform at. Cramped, oddly shaped and suffering from meagre sound acoustics, it’s difficult for a band to really impress. Support for tonight’s main act prove this. My Passion produce a grim emo-electro affair that would be pretty unpleasant in any venue whilst Middle Class Rut’s remarkable sound (imagine Death from Above 1979 meets Refused) is let down by the poor stage layout and dynamics. IPS have an uphill struggle if they’re to try and produce something memorable tonight

IPS dispel my theory of the curse of Academy 2 at first attempt. Opener ‘Die Tonight, Live Forever’ is truly outstanding. An anthemic beast featuring elaborate instrumentation, a mould of live instruments with intense beats and a build up that could make a Nun climax. The incredible performance is accompanied by an atmosphere I’d only ever experienced whilst witnessing the masters of live performance Muse. An enigmatic lights show, much more suited to the NEA down the road than the diminutive academy 2, and a momentous set up featuring a glut of synths and gear, combined to create a truly phenomenal stage presence. IPS had made Academy 2 their own. Follow up ‘Last Night in Brooklyn’ proves to be equally brilliant. Oozing with impudent beats and an unrelenting chorus, it is refreshing to see the band push the boundaries of their more restrained recorded counterparts. ‘Heart on Fire’ continues this ferocious pace. Although much more pop orientated than electronic, the band prove they are diverse enough to nail both genres. Sing-along choruses and a high-octane song structure result in mass elation from the frenzied crowd.

The night doesn’t continue at this sublime level, with a dramatic reduction in quality around 15 minutes into the bands set. Gone is the epic electronica replaced by disappointing slow tempo tracks lacking in the edge and innovation IPS flaunted at the start. The likes of ‘New Poetry’ and ‘Structure’ have a more laid-back, lo-fi approach on their debut album and the transfer from record to live setting fails miserably. The songs, notably poorer on the record than others in the first place, offer very little more than emo tinged electronic ballads. The euphoric atmosphere the band had done so well to create was dashed in the space of a few songs and it’s then I realize I’m not at some immense rave-rock show, mesmerized at something innovative and utterly brilliant, but surrounded by small 13 year old girls accompanied by their parents and long haired teenage boys determined to beat the crap out of me with a musical accompaniment.

The night finishes with a return to excellence with the blockbuster ‘Don’t Stop’. Brimming with electronic beats, emotive vocals and a catchy chorus to boot: ‘Don’t Stop’ is going to be a massive. It’s tonight’s pièce de résistance and it leaves me with a sense of incredible frustration; albeit for some of the weaker moments of tonight’s set, IPS were really quite special.