New Young Pony Club, Metronomy

The indie boys and girls were out in force last night at Camden's notorious Koko's to see Metronomy and New Young Pony Club perform as part of the NME Awards.

Metronomy soon got the crowd warmed up (not that you needed much warming from all the shoulder rubbing in the packed venue) with their signature light and dance routine. Lead singer Joseph Mount revved up the crowd shouting "Lets have a party and I suggest that's what we do" before launching into a melodic set with their electro hearts beaming out to the crowd. The boys put on a true rock-star performance and the crowd soon couldn't resist bobbing their heads to their melancholic beats. They spoke very few words but what they did say was treated as prolific. "This next song is about driving down a motorway, chasing a girl and crashing" Mount proclaimed and one fan enthusiastically retaliated with "This will be f**cking brilliant" and it was. There's no doubt the boys are musically talented, their use of instruments such as the saxophone and melodica interspersed with their electronic synths seemed to capture the heart and sound of the electro beat of 'now', where crowds long for more than just a catchy beat to hold their attention. Like children in a chocolate factory the crowd was mesmerised by the synchronised light show and the ballet-esque dancers. In an age where nostalgia reins supreme Metronomy weave cultural references of past styles and pastiche 'high arts' seamlessly into their new age electro beats. Their use of dancers who intertwine ballet steps with robotic moves not only is a very interesting way of keeping the audience entertained but also typifies their musical style. For their last song the tempo suddenly changed and the boys rocked out, setting the crowd up beautifully for NYPC. Some might say they were more deserving than the role of support band.

So what happened in the interval between Metronomy and NYPC? Did the bar run dry? Did people's skinny leg jeans or lycra pants become too restrictive? Whatever the case the mood seemed to suddenly change when NYPC took to the stage. Perhaps it was simply the wrong venue for the indi-electronica band as it certainly wasn't due to a lack of performance on stage. In her typical style lead singer Tahita Bulmer leaped and contorted across stage in her sparkly spandex number, literally jumping hoops for the crowd. From the get-go she tried to melt the crowds stony faces that were "acting like it was a Tuesday or something'. Tahita's stage presence was effervescent but the bands revamped, sleeker image, for whatever reason, did not move the crowd. She just about managed to get everyone dancing in time to her leaps across stage during their favourite hit 'Ice cream' but her continual pleas to the crowd to get into it didn't seem to have much effect otherwise. At one point she said, "I don't care what you do during the day, I don't care if you punch numbers into the phone or if you talk to fucking George Michael on the phone, we just want you to have fun!". As the set went on, her exasperation grew- "Did anyone actually buy this album?" was met with an awkward silence. She practically began begging the audience to get their hands going- "So who actually likes being out on a Tuesday? Do you all have work in the morning? Make it worth it, make it worth it, if you're going to have a secret vomit behind your bosses back at least make it worth the vomit!". It wasn't for lack of trying but it’s arguable that the venue was wrong. Perhaps somewhere smaller like the Astoria, with a less voyeuristic tendency than the beautiful grand Koko's would have satiated the need for NYPC fans to get their dance on. While the group, particularly the Karen O-esque Tahita, put on a fantastic spectacle it's possibly a band enjoyed best when more immersed in the music. Whatever the reason, despite the frustration clearly showing on Tahita's face they still managed to keep their energy levels high, finally amping the crowd with a rendition of 'Pump the Jam' and delighting fans by diving into the crowd. Despite a great show though, something was amiss. Let's just hope that next time Tahita can legitimately sing 'I can give you what you want...'.