Nothing breaks up the monotony of a working week more than watching The Rapture effortlessly tear up a stage. The New Yorkers have few rivals in terms of live performance and depth of discography. Tonight’s show at the Forum – still one of Melbourne’s finest venues – did nothing to diminish this reputation.
Providing opening honours was the slightly odd Azari & III. Not much was expected of their performance so expectations were neither surpassed nor lowered. To their credit they did summon some energy – they danced through the crowd, took their shirts off and threw around some precious stage 1 restricted H20. Basically they did anything to distract from their actual music, most of which consisted of backing loops and choruses that repeated well-thought out phrases like “I’m too fucked up”.
Upon appearing on stage, The Rapture were greeted by a surprisingly muted reception, perhaps a side-effect of it being a Tuesday evening (clearly no one jumped on the pre-drinks bandwagon). As a result, things got off to a relatively quiet start with ‘In The Grace Of Your Love’ and ‘Never Die Again’, both of which feature on their latest LP.
This vibe shifted dramatically when the band launched into ‘Pieces Of The People We Love’, ‘Get Myself Into It’, ‘Killing’ and ‘Whoo! Alright Yeah… Uh Huh’. It’s not until you hear the group interchange such tracks that you realise how irresistible their catalogue is. Special mention must go to the stand-out rendition of ‘House Of Jealous Lovers’. If anyone in attendance needed a further jolt on a lazy mid-week night that was it.
The tempo shifted yet again when boys recoiled back into their more introspective material. Tracks like ‘Come Back To Me’ and ‘Sail Away’ explore a different side to the band, in particular lead singer Luke Jenner. Both songs are off In the Grace Of Your Love, an LP that touches on Jenner becoming a parent and the tragic suicide of his mother. They give the set an emotional depth that provides the crowd with an opportunity to look beyond the band’s usual party-starter anthems.
‘No Sex For Ben’ and ‘How Deep Is Your Love?’ provide a rousing climax. The latter is a flawless cut; perhaps the finest tune in their discography. However, there are certain sections in the song that are naggingly – though humorously – reminiscent of Sisqo’s ‘Thong Song’ (unfortunately not a joke – compare the delivery of lines “Let me hear that song” and “Let me see that thong” to see for yourself. No, seriously).
Sisqo comparisons aside, The Rapture are in career-best form. The New York natives are regular visitors to our shores and given their astounding live virtuosity, they’re more than ideal candidates for permanent residency.
– Paul Bonadio
