Death Cab for Cutie at Brixton Academy

Iconic South London music venue Brixton Academy plays host to Seattle sensation Death Cab for Cutie for the fifth time in the band’s career. They’ve been imbuing hearts with their distinctive sound for 18 years, and it’s a delight to see that they’ve not lost any of their appeal.

The moment prior to their entrance is reminiscent of a piece of theatre, the dimming of the house lights followed by the silence of anticipation. Death Cab for Cutie engage with their audience readily by creating a clear musical journey: the final chord of almost every song is sustained to introduce the next one, and frontman Ben Gibbard entertains with quirky anecdotes that tickle the spectator’s humour.

The first half of the concert can be criticised neither sonically nor aesthetically. The light show, for instance, is kept relatively simple, using colours sparsely, continuously accentuating the band’s distinctive West Coast indie sound. They progress through old classics and new material, binding them effortlessly together. The highlight of the night is I Will Follow You into the Dark, coming halfway through the set; Gibbard introduces it by explaining that they were unable to perform it at their Glastonbury debut earlier this year. When the other band members leave the stage for the frontman’s first notes, cries of rapture arise from the fans. There is a point where Gibbard’s voice is barely audible over the crowd’s singalong.

Other standout tracks include Little Wanderer, taken off of their latest album Kintsugi, and Transatlanticism, which brings an end to a memorable night. Overall, the band are flawless in their sound, inspiring vibrancy in the melancholy of their lyrics and performing without dull moment or mistake. Death Cab for Cutie may have been around for almost two decades, but they won’t be disappearing from the scene anytime soon.

Alex Goddard
Photos: Guifré de Peray

 

For further information about Death Cab for Cutie and future events visit here.

Watch the video for Little Wanderer here: