Hot Chip make a memorable return with an exhilarating, euphoric set at Alexandra Palace

Following a four-year break, Hot Chip returned in June with their seventh album, A Bath Full of Ecstasy. The record was greeted with rave reviews and as the band’s loyal following pile into Alexandra Palace, it’s clear that there has been a great revival of love for this indie foursome.

Opener Huarache Lights sets a gentle introduction to an otherwise electric set. Hit after hit is delivered without pause, the group fading into One Life Stand and Night & Day. The band’s reputation for catchy choruses layered over synthy backdrops and heavy beats precedes itself, but the pulsing electricity that ripples throughout the hall is something special to witness. By the time title song Bath Full of Ecstasy comes around, the audience are fully submerged into Hot Chips’ curated world of bouncing lights and roving lasers.

Against the lofty ceiling, older hits from the earlier albums such as Over and Over create an atmosphere that comes closer to a rave than a concert, with a lethal combination of fever pitch instrumentals creating a resounding feeling of exultation. Ready for the Floor delivers the same effect, greeted by fist-pumping and arm waving.

New material is sprinkled throughout the set, building a contrasting tone in the room that seems almost melancholic. Spell is a particularly entrancing song, revealing Alexis Taylor’s astounding vocal abilities, which, although failing to silence the audience, bring the vibrancy down momentarily in a spot of personal reflection.

The performance rounds out gradually, with moments of euphoria complemented by introspective musings, forming a wholly unique experience. An encore is non-negotiable for this crowd, who have been worked up into exhilaration for over an hour. The band deliver this with a surprisingly raucous rendition of the Beastie Boys’ Sabotage, a hard-rock anthem that is by no means out of place in this mixing pot of artistic style, emotion and passion.

Grace Walsh
Photos: Virginie Viche

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

Watch the video for Spell here: