Klaxons at Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Indie electronica three-piece Klaxons have come far since their 2007 hits Golden Skans and Magick. So far, in fact, that the English trio are embarking on the world’s first 3D printed tour, with instruments, lights and production all supplied using a 3D printer (or, so they would have us believe). Following the release of their third album Love Frequency earlier this year, fans received the shocking news that this would be Klaxon’s last headline tour. Whether or not it was the news of   3D musical innovation, or a final farewell to the beloved princes of rave rock, they certainly attracted a large crowd to Shepherd’s Bush Empire, eager to find out just exactly what was going on.

The nu-ravers bounded on to the stage suited in glowing white outfits and opened the set with A New Reality from the new album. Soon after, the band lurched in to their 2007 hit Atlantis to Interzone, which had the crowd going wild. It quickly became apparent that these classics were what the audience was really here for. The crowd seemed to express a lack of engagement with newer material such as the sonically clean-cut There Is No Other Time and Show Me a Miracle, but they came to life at the dirty, synth ‘n’ bass infused sounds of their previous records – Myths of the Near Future in particular. Of course, Magick and the infectious, poppy Golden Skans were the clear fan favourites and there wasn’t a body in the room that wasn’t moshing along as the crowd yelled in grateful chorus “OOOH-OOH-OOH-OOH…AHH!”

After the main set, the trio returned to the stage for an encore – consisting mainly of their more familiar material (with the exception of Children of the Sun). Ending on a high, the last song of the night was It’s Not Over Yet – an ironic song choice considering this was to be their last ever headline tour. But who can be sure if this is the case? Is this just another one of Klaxons’ hoaxes? After tonight’s promising performance, we hope so.

Gemma Whitfield
Photos: Erol Birsen

For further information about Klaxons and future events visit here.

Watch the video for A New Reality here: