They say a change is as good as a rest but The Music plumped for a rest - well, that’s if it's fair to call a drug-fuelled, depression-led break from the chart-bothering norm an actual
rest.
Fortunate for us, however, as the familiar jittery dance steps of frontman Robert Harvey and that unmistakable vocal makes for a wicked live show. With his brown tresses left in the recent troubled past, severely-shaven Harvey is cutting rug like a true reveller again, and it is a welcome reminder of what made 2003 such a good one.
Tonight, the ridiculous and perhaps audaciously-named four-piece hog the iTunes festival spotlight for a crowd that doesn’t exactly reveal the whereabouts of its superfans - it doesn't need to. The people... the people... the people... just love The Music. Unless it’s simply impossible not to be enraptured by this band?
As the set of oldies and newbies unfolds it does hit all the right highs and lows. Nothing peaks as brilliantly as 'The People', and nothing acutely resonates quite like the haunting chimes of 'Welcome to the North' – Leeds City Council still thrilled with that single, one assumes.
It doesn’t actually take obvious tracks like new single
'The Spike' or 'Drugs' from latest long-player 'Strength in Numbers' to evoke real emotion while you’re getting seriously lost in the moves. Whether you’re seeking ecstasy, despair or a bit of both, The Music pitch it perfectly. Three albums now in the mix prove they always did really, even before the dramatic hiatus.
And, as a reviewing footnote, this is not deja vu, it
is Music News loving The Music's return yet again. Hey, have a word with them about it, not us!
