Another autumnal eve in east London, and another sweltering cesspit is stirred within Old Street's latest basement hangout as the second night of Basque-meets-Bethnal Green Balearic genre hoppers
Crystal Fighters' UK tour hits hometown hysteria. Veiled, foreheads scarfed Bast, Gilbert and Graham alongside newly recruited headphoned drum thumper slowly but impressionably carve out an uproarious I Love London that's as contoured to the dripping plaster and industrial tubing dangling overhead as the txalaparta is to a Navarran open mic night, its histrionic refrain of "Willesden, Harlesden, Watford Junction... Junction... Junction" inner-M25 anthemia at its most transcendental. The rambunctious Les Paul crunch of I Do This Everyday follows, as phenomenal handcut visuals are set to ADHD overdrive, thieving gazes and complimenting the 'Fighters' wonky electronica wondrously. As clouds swirl and part,
debut long player Star Of Love highlight Plage glimmers through the gaps, bleary-eyed to witness its very first crowdsurfer, as Graham's guitar protrudes the boundaries segregating stage and unruly throng and Bast coyly beguiles, each word dripping an endearing innocence onto which every member of tonight's ebbing and intoxicated flock grasps. Shuffling the pack without losing a single trump card (the trio tonight play every last track contained within Star Of Love) once-opener Solar System is anxiously awaited, providing the definitive link between British and Basque, with lyrics of Casiotones battling away against lilted hispanic accents, all before entrancing illustrations of cascading stars. Subjectively speaking, Crystal Fighters are at their most jubilant when toning down the MicroKorg tweaks as on the sultrily exuberant Champion Sound and the rousing At Home, tonight transformed into heavier slabs of tenacious spirit and striking drops as the latest female vocal presence is unfortunately all but lost in a slightly murky mix. In The Summer, despite being a touch last season in name is as incendiary as it ever was on a muggy Worthy Farm afternoon and almost eclipses the perpetually fanciful With You, whilst recent double A-side single Follow/Swallow with its recurring lyrical refrains is compellingly potent, the indigenous acoustic twangs of the former joyously juxtaposing the dubstep slump of the latter. It's Kitsuné-released closer, Xtatic Truth however that'll have invoked the majority of the sorer throats gargling copious amounts of Listerine for days to come, as every blissful lyric is belted back towards dangling crystals and a stage crammed with more instruments than The Prodigy collectively have remaining brain cells, and astonishing live female vocals are finally gorged. With a rebooted live show and stifling debut record on the verge of HMV availability, Crystal Fighters still pertain to a glorious sonic discrepancy between their sweaty shows and more ethereal studio sounds that ought to have many more heads turning, bobbing and contorting when they gallop alongside Foals later this year.
