M83 conquer Somerset House with electro waves

The crowd waiting for M83 at the Summer Series didn’t seem apprehensive about the ominous clouds looming over the grandiose, open venue that is Somerset House. Susanne Sundfør, supporting M83, clearly set a celebrated scene with her hopeful bass-driven music.

The concert opened with a figure in a Martian-like mask firing lasers from his fingertips into the crowd. The significance of the Pink Floyd-inspired extravagant lighting during their performance was clearly noticeable from the start. Throughout, beams and psychedelic pyramids blared from red to blue to green into the fan’s retinas. The visuals matched the dynamism of the show perfectly.

It is rare to see such a humble performance from a band that plays with sensational vivacity and proficiency. Midnight City was played before the encore, with Anthony Gonzalez filming the crowd, demonstrating that his passion for the stage equated to his passion for the fans – which he kept obligingly pronouncing. The saxophonist had the listeners mesmerised as the band came together for one of the most recognised of their songs: My Tears Are Becoming a Sea was probably the deepest and most intimate moment of the set.

The crowd were both enthralled and energized during the show; fans were raising their fists in a pious style and during the encore, when the more club-based, instrumental music was played the movement of the crowd was as if it was choreographed. Morgan Kibby’s relaxed vocals and synth playing along with the bassist’s hyperactivity when he switched to percussion was a sole performance in itself.

We Own The Sky was entirely appropriate for the setting and was one of the most compelling of the songs played. It really did show that this dreary “summer” weather was not going to get in the way of this truly powerful performance. 

Matt Di Salvo
Photos: Adam Imiolo

For further information and future gigs visit M83’s website here.

Watch the video for Midnight City here: