20 January 2017 (gig)
21 January 2017
Cage The Elephant took to the iconic venue O2 Academy Brixton for their final UK date, before heading over to mainland Europe to continue their tour. If this wasn’t enough pressure, the whole gig was streamed on NME opening up the gig to be viewed by all their dedicated fans.
Before the Kentucky rockers graced the stage, Declan McKenna and Spring King hyped the crowd, forming mosh pits before the venue was even full. Finally the Shultz brothers took to the stage and the crowd erupted. The band immediately pulled out an anthems ‘Cry Baby’, ‘In One Ear’ and ‘Spiderhead’.
Frontman Matt Shultz was in his element, puppeteering the crowds every move. Swinging the mic back and forth, waltzing around the stage, Matt showed pure confidence. It’s not long before he rips off his grey blazer, leaving him wearing just an open shirt drenched in sweat.
With a constant flow of anthems, the band throwing themselves around the stage in a complete frenzy and the crowd mirroring this madness, it’s difficult to determine how long Cage The Elephant even performed for, as the night blurred into an evening of insanity.
The pace slowed for the occasional ballad but even then the crowd didn’t lose their spirit. The whole band had an ongoing impressive amount of energy, making it almost impossible for anyone to watch without pogoing and singing along.
After the massive encore going from ‘Cigarette Daydreams’ and ‘Teeth’, the crowd began to disperse. However Matt wasn’t done and threw himself into the centre of the stage, and began to address the topic of racism. Although maybe not the true rock and roll ending to a concert, Cage The Elephant proved that breaking the stereotype works.
