11 February 2016 (gig)
04 March 2016
Last Thursday night, American rock band Cage the Elephant came down to the O2 Forum in Kentish Town to perform as part of the acts contributing to the NME Awards shows which will take place across different London venues throughout February.
The group is in the middle of a European tour during which they are promoting their latest record Tell Me I’m Pretty, released about a couple of months ago.
The first thing that needs to be said is that, in spite of their efforts to develop a new sound and experiment, the band’s fan base remains largely made of late teenagers. In fact, the venue chosen for this concert was filled to capacity with hormonal, shrieking girls and boys who could barely contain their excitement over Matt Shultz’s exuberant persona.
After an acclaimed entrance, Cage the Elephant started off with the opening track of their new album, Cry Baby, and the two Shultz siblings got immediately close to the crowd to return the affection that had welcomed them on stage. All the members were thrilled to witness such a response from the audience but it was the lead singer who particularly showed his appreciation (and implicitly asked for more) as he didn’t waste time and executed the first of many stage diving and crowd surfing exercises the fans would see that night.
Approximately two hours flew by as Cage the Elephant performed a mix of old and new tunes which were all equally met with enthusiasm and Matt Shultz repeated “Thank you guys, so much” like a mantra nearly after each song. Among them, Shake Me Down, probably their most famous, was the band’s ‘save the best for last’ although its performance felt a bit tired out from the innumerable times it must have been played over the years.
During the encore, Cigarette Daydreams proved to have a special place in the heart of the fans who shouted its lyrics out loud in unison.
Near the end of the show Matt Shultz briefly disappeared for a minute, only to come back stripped to the waist, reminiscing Iggy Pop even in his sinuous movements. One final, spectacular stage diving number sealed a successful gig marked by energetic, powerful performances that left everyone satisfied.
