Live: Crystal Fighters

23rd November

Academy 2

10/10

Crystal fighters have sold out Academy 2 for tonight’s gig, and if the dance music blaring out of the speakers before they have even come on stage signals anything, tonight is going to be electric.

The six band members enter the stage, immediately launch into ‘Solar System’ from their first album, Star of Love, and the crowd erupts. Crystal Fighters have a punchier live sound than on their records, with pulsating bass and synths, which makes the whole gig feels more like a rave than a concert. They move on to play two more older songs ‘Champion Sound’ and ‘I Do This Everyday’, featuring intense drumming on the txalaparta, a wooden xylophone-like percussion instrument played by two people standing face-to-face, and the song is a perfect demonstration of Crystal Fighters unique blend of folk blended with dance music. As the band hurl themselves into one song after another, this party is showing no signs of stopping. We are treated to seven new songs from the bands second album Cave Rave, and ‘You and I’ stands out as one of Crystal Fighter’s best songs yet.

‘Plage’, perhaps the bands most well known song, brings the biggest reaction of the whole set before the band head off stage. The crowd have a few minutes to catch their breath, before the band run back onto the stage and throw themselves into ‘I Love London’. Finishing song ‘Xtatic Truth’ is the perfect climax to the night, and sees everyone in Academy 2 go mental one last time. Crystal Fighters did not disappoint. They struck the perfect balance between playing more dance heavy material from Star of Love, and material from Cave Rave, which is clearly more mature. The whole show feels like you are invited to a Crystal Fighters party, and the atmosphere on the night doesn’t wane at any point.