Klaxons – Kantine am Berghain, Berlin – May 6, 2014

As KLAXONS mingled around the Berghain Kantine beer garden before their show, they appeared nothing more than a few guys having a drink together, getting ready to enjoy a concert themselves. However, when they walked on stage they had completely transformed, wearing entirely metallic suits and radiating a new found enthusiasm. KLAXONS had a stage presence that perfectly fit the small venue, yet still showed signs of being able to conquer much bigger stages, as they have in the past.

The energy from the crowd and band alike saturated the entire venue; no sooner had frontman Jamie Reynolds struck the first bass note than feet started to move. The band started off with Atlantis to Interzone, a track from their 2007 album Myths of the Near Future. However, they quickly moved to tracks from their upcoming album, Love Frequency, out in June of this year. Although NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION has already received advanced previews to several tracks on the LP, hearing a few more at this show only increased hype for their upcoming record.

The band stayed true to their style of combining punk and rave influences in the pieces off their new album. They played a total of seven songs from Love Frequency, including Children of the Sun, Invisible Forces, New Reality and the title track. Children of the Sun has a more forward and dance driven beat than their older material, yet their style does not stray far. KLAXONS also played Show Me a Miracle, supposedly for only the second time. Though it upheld their dance oriented beat, this song was a little slower and heavier than their other pieces. The track will be released on the radio on Thursday.

KLAXONS ironically concluded their appreciated encore with It’s Not Over Yet, though unfortunately to the crowd’s dismay, it was. This final track resonated well with the style of the band: significant distortions on the bass, a keyboardist who exuded an inexpugnable energy, and a guitar player who stayed to himself while banging out earworm riffs in the corner. Lead vocalist Reynolds continued to encourage the band to harass the drummer, who did little more than, well, drum.

Although the show did not include any overtly complicated instrumentals or surrealist graphics, KLAXONS put on a show that got the crowd going with their boundless energy, a quality that has allowed the band to thrive along with their musical talent for nearly ten years. They continue to pull off the seemingly odd mix of punk and rave styles, visible not only in their music but also in
their performance.

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KLAXONS