Death Cab For Cutie, Brixton Academy, July 17th
Thursday, 24 Jul 2008 14:22
Death Cab For Cutie, Brixton Academy, July 17th
inthenews.co.uk's Lewis Bazley is impressed by the vivid American greats in south London.
Brixton Academy is as packed as ever for Death Cab For Cutie's Latitude warm-up show but as befits the sensitive sounds of the band, a sense of decorum permeates the venue, with not a hint of pint-spilling, pushing in or the usual toneless singing that mars these occasions.
Showcasing the high points of their recent - and superb - effort Narrow Stairs along with classic cuts and surprising old favourites, Ben Gibbard and co prove that signing with a major label has removed none of their intent nor intricate talents.
The Stars-like Grapevine Fires jitters along pleasantly while few are prepared for the stunning middle section that flows through a rousing Where Soul Meets Body, into an anthemic and heartbreaking I Will Possess Your Heart - the idiocy of this song being used for a US news report on the 'evils' of emo is never more apparent.
I Will Possess Your Heart is even more intense and epic in person while last single Cath bristles like a spurned lover and as Latitude co-stars Franz Ferdinand watch the moving climax of Transatlanticism, Alex Kapranos and his bandmates probably aren't alone in feeling a little insignificant at having witnessed a band reaching their peak and hinting at more to come.
Death Cab For Cutie played:
Bixby Canyon Bridge
New Year
Why'd You Want To Live Here
Crooked Teeth
Long Division
Grapevine Fires
Movie Script
Company Calls
Epilogue
Soul Meets Body
I Will Follow You Into The Dark
I Will Possess Your Heart
Cath
Expo '86
Styrofoam Plates
Sound Of Settling
Your Bruise
Title And Registration
Twin Sized Bed
Tiny Vessels
Transatlanticism
Lewis Bazley
Cath is out now: