Caribou at Brixton Academy

Fresh from playing Liverpool the night before and All Points East in August, Dan Snaith, professionally known as Caribou, lights up the academy with his heady mixture of intelligent dance music and bass-infused electronica. 

The propulsive New Jade, from latest LP Suddenly, is everything one would want from a down-tempo track – a meaningful chorus full of hope with iridescent electronic elements – while the pounding joy that is exhibited through Odessa impossible not to dance to. The band is immersed in crimson light, all stage-left, but an abundance of dry ice obstructs some of the view. However, one can distinguish a fourth member to the right, Caribou’s videographer, filming the whole show.

Earlier tracks from the dance music maverick’s oeuvre are heavier than their recent counterparts. A definite highlight with the audience, Sun, from 2010’s critically acclaimed Swim, sees the back screen change from an increasingly large black sun to a white sun and back again. The complex cornucopia of beats on repeat are reminders of Snaith’s academic background: he holds a PhD in mathematics. Intermittently, the musician enthuses about how happy he and his band are to be in front of a live audience again, and his mood is contagious. With Bowls, Caribou drums opposite his colleague, with an intense propensity and crescendo that sound extra-terrestrial. Through Ravi, the group are bathed in lush pink and purple, while You Can Do It is the joyous anthem everyone needs, clearly livening up the audience. The music video is happiness visualised. 

Caribou is just as adept at crafting soft, warm tracks, such as Silver and Our Love, as he is at making the punchier ones like Odessa. It is this continual variety that makes him a winner with critics and fans alike, while simultaneously keeping his music interesting. 

More stage presence would have enabled the singer make his mark in the academy from a visual perspective, but in all fairness the setup is challenging, and the light display does the trick to keep the crowd’s energy. 

The important factor here is that the songs are memorable, sending the fans off on a serotonin high with encore tracks Never Come Back and Can’t Do Without You. 

Selina Begum
Photos: Guifré de Peray

For further information and future events visit Caribou’s website here.

Watch the video for the single You Can Do It here: