| 
Australian sensations Pendulum | | THE ATMOSPHERE is buzzing
as the audience eagerly await the arrival of their favourite genre-defying band.
The fans have been stripped of their
glow sticks – security staff frisked everyone on entry, but even this extreme
measure couldn’t dampen the mood.
After politely enduring several attempts at a fatally flawed set by DJ
Groove Rider – technology isn’t on his side this evening - the lights go down
and there are roars of appreciation for tonight’s headliners.
It’s rare for one band to bring such a diverse assortment of music
clans together harmoniously – we’ve got punks, ravers , chavs and indie kids –
but Pendulum effortlessly fuse them together to create a united front and as
their biggest UK tour date, they have no problem filling the venue.
Opening with Showdown from current album In Silico, chaos ensues as
the thumping bass pulses through the crowd and striking visuals on the screen
wall hypnotise those who haven’t already felt the urge to dance.
After a quick break for some stage banter, Pendulum eases the crowd
back into the beats with the ever popular Fasten Your Seatbelt, blending their
unique electronic rock with a reggae element.
MC Ben Mount leaps around the stage exerting almost as much energy
as the fans in the circle pits below him, basking in the reception of their
remix of The Prodigy’s Voodoo People.
Barely giving our internal organs a chance to settle, keyboardist
and vocalist Rob Swire takes to the mic for top ten hit Propane Nightmares –
the success of which has to be somewhat accredited to the many BBC Radio 1 DJs
that hyped the track up from the very beginning.
Not surprisingly, the crowd goes wild, inflating the egos on stage
and encouraging them to make this the best night of the tour.
The dancing and jumping is made all the more surreal with the
addition of strobe lighting, making for a superb natural high.
Another Radio 1 favourite in the form of Slam whips the crowd into a
frenzy, sustaining the adrenaline rush, all the while MC Mount urging the crowd
to make more noise.
Winding the crowd round their little fingers for one last push,
Pendulum come to the stage for an epic encore. With as much energy and
enthusiasm as they can muster, they blast their fans with Motorstorm theme
track, Tarantula, and do not disappoint.
Allana Cutter | |