Owl City

It's 8:15pm in Shepherds Bush, London on Sunday 9th May and the 'WalkAbout' bar next to the o2 Shepherds Bush Empire seems to have more bustle outside than the 2000 capacity venue does. However, on entering the venue the reason quickly becomes clear. Everyone... and I mean EVERYONE is already inside! The venue is completely sold-out. Packed to the rafters. The floor and all 4 tiers are full of lively, expectant concert-goers ranging from age 8 (as support band 'A Fine Frenzy’ discovered through means of a screaming poll) to 50; some merely chaperones and others evidently here to cut some shapes.

At 9:10pm the stage blackens and the crowd erupts into a deafening reception for Adam Young and 'Owl City’. Adam begins behind the kit, hammering out a an intro which quickly turns into the dancy 'Umbrella Beach’ as he jumps up and runs to front and centre of the stage, where he’s soon to prove he rightfully belongs. The band’s crisp, clean sound fills the venue and the atmosphere is full of energy, while still feeling relaxed and colloquial, and the music has an astounding ability to make one feel secure and optimistic. The band, six strong including Adam, consists of a drummer, keyboard player, cellist, violinist and multi-instrumentalist playing xylophone, glockenspiel, nord keyboard, guitar and percussion. The band expertly recreates the electro synth-pop as heard on the album, while also managing to add incredible feel and texture to the sugary-sweet tunes. The string section are cute and endearing, performing dance routines in between their full, rich string parts. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that all three female band members are particularly easy on the eye. Adam is quirky and slightly awkward as he flails around in between vocal parts, but his voice is great. He soars effortlessly through each song, smiling frequently and connecting with his audience regularly. He seems shy in between songs, and yet obviously laps up his 'front man’ responsibilities. Why shouldn’t he? Owl City is having a good 2010.

As the set progresses, so does the crowd’s involvement. Even the seated section on the top tier is on their feet. 'Cave In’ proves a crowd favourite with plenty singing along, but it’s Owl City’s biggest single to date, 'Fireflies’ that really frenzies kids and adults alike. Adam barely needs to sing as the crowd carries the vocal line loudly and enthusiastically, if sometimes a little tunelessly. The songs are broken up by musical interludes, the most memorable of which, a several-minute cinematic interlude that starts with Adam backing a war-time voiceover on keys before dropping into a stadium-style version of 'Meteor Shower’. Epic.

I signed up to review this show for fun, but I didn't just get fun, I got musicianship, showmanship and a warm, welcome sense of optimism. I honestly couldn't have asked for more on a Sunday evening in London town. 5 stars. I'm not scared.