After I saw Walt Disco last year, I said that they would probably improve with familiarity but to be honest, I still haven't listened to them that much. They still play oddball 80s pop in the vein of Sparks although 'Gnomes' is very Talking Heads. A new song has a Nile Rodgers era Duran Duran disco feel and is pretty good. Singer James' power and range is impressive and his Mael brothers style vocals still give them a unique edge. He also seems less flamboyant than last time. The slower 'Pearl' sees them enter Divine Comedy territory. The songs are all pretty short and sweet. Closing track 'Weightless' is goth rock in the vein of She Wants Revenge and it is the rockier moments which impress the most. Overall, I enjoyed them more than last time I saw them.
There is an eyecatching intro, as 'Evolution Of Species' plays whilst the big screen is filled with images of cells. It is very futuristic and speaks of a band looking forward rather than backwards. OMD then open with the Pet Shop Boys-esque 'Anthropocene'. Andy McCluskey is stationed at the front of the stage with his bass guitar whilst the other members of the band are stationed behind banks of keyboards or the drumkit. They look more like Orbital rather than OMD. The stage show is centred around a huge, crystal clear video wall and computer generated graphics, and it is amazing. The sparse electronica of 'Messages' is joyous when the crowd sings along to the synth riff. 'Tesla Girls' is urgent, and the crowd clap in unison along to the intro. Andy is in fine voice and sounds great throughout. The excellent new track 'Kleptocracy' sounds like Duran Duran covering 'Enola Gay'. They play a number of tracks off the new album but none of them sound out of place here as it is an excellent album. The peerless pop of 'If You Leave' is accompanied by images of my teen crush, Molly Ringwald. The retro-futurism (both in sound and imagery) of 'Bauhaus Staircase' is great. The icy electronic balladry of 'Souvenir' is superb and the 'Architecture And Morality' 1,2,3 of this and the two 'Joan Of Arc's are real crowd pleasers. The Yazoo style new track 'Don't Go' (not that one) gets a great reaction whilst the classy pop of 'Dreaming' is excellent. Everything sounds superb, even the tracks I don't really like on record. 'Locomotion' in particular, is way more fun than I remember. 'Sailing On The Seven Seas' is much heavier live, probably as a result of the electronic bass track, and the crowd is sooo loud during the chorus. An incredible 'Enola Gay' closes the regular set. First encore 'Look At You Now' is uplifting whilst the classic minimalist electronic post-punk of Electricity' closes the show in an exhilarating fashion. Absolutely phenomenal.
OMD *****
Walt Disco ***
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