There’s a palpable air of expectation and excitement in a jam-packed ABC2 as TV on the Radio take to the "cosy" stage of this 300 and something capacity venue. This reviewer gets the sense that many of those in attendance are used to experiencing their rock and roll idols from a distance in larger venues or at the mercy of the elements on festival stages and so there is a slight tinge of disbelief that frontman vocalist Tunde Adebimpe and co are about to do their thing quite so up close and personal.
Instead of launching into things at full tilt, Adebimpe instead encourages us to drift away to “some tropical beach”, lulled by the gentle drones and tinkling windchimes suspended from the neck of David Sitek’s guitar. This serves as a prelude to “Dirtywhirl” a slow-burner from this year's “Return to Cookie Mountain” propelled by Adebimpe’s looped human beatbox and exiting, “tangled up in the flesh of a girl”, over a multi-tracked whistling solo. Never has whistling seemed quite so cool or cred-worthy.
Adebimpe, ably abetted by other guitarist Kyp Simmons on falsetto harmoines from time-to-time, manages to pull off both effortlessness and sheer conviction simultaneously, quite some trick. His sweet soulful, occasionally preacher-like, vocal cuts through the shimmering walls of sound conjured by Simmons and Sitek, and surfs the beats and basslines laid down by Jaleel Bunton and Gerard Smith to spell-binding effect.
Standouts include “Wolf Like Me”, which sets the front rows bobbing up and down in a pogo-dancing frenzy, and “Dreams”, the layered vocals of Adebimpe and Simmons melting together irresistibly on its “all your dreams are over now” refrain.
However, as a member of the (relatively) uninitiated (having only spent a week with "Return to Cookie Mountain" before the gig), I find it hard to shake the feeling that this gig would mean a lot more to me if I was more familiar with TVOTR’s back catalogue. I admire, but I never quite connect.
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This is not for lack of effort on Adebimpe’s part. Throughout the show he paces the confines of the ABC2 stage, gesturing and gesticulating and with relentless energy, intent on converting the unconverted and further indoctrinating the faithful.
But even as the assembled take to the air once more on the amphetamine rush encore of “Staring at the Sun”, transformed live into the disco floor-filler smash denied by the pent-up tension of the recorded version, I’m not swept along for the ride.
It might be the sheer enthusiasm of the full-on fans in the audience. This is their night and it’s not for sharing and that’s fair enough. Regardless, the band themselves can’t really be faulted (on this occasion) for my just not getting it. There’s passion here, musicianship, soul and fire.
Next time around I suspect TVOTR will be playing rooms many times the size of this one and so this may turn out to be my missed opportunity of sorts to connect with Tunde and his companions, before they truly break the big time. My loss though. If they hit a small room near you anytime soon don’t make it yours.
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