Words: Vanessa Monaghan
Photos: Alessio Michelini
Example performed to a packed house in The Olympia on November 30, not surprising as tracks from his third album ‘Playing In The Shadows’ are all over daytime radio at the moment.
Walking into the auditorium Mz Bratt was already on stage. The London MC has been bubbling under the surface for about two years now, making a steady progression into the limelight. An appearance on the ‘Demons Never Die’ Soundtrack has definitely helped her along as well as appearing as part of ‘The Collective’s’ in the cover of Teardrop.
Live, Mz Bratt is backed up by another male MC but she always dominates on stage and spits lyrics like they are going out of fashion. The crowd love her and she gets them chanting along on command, getting their hands in the air. Her sound is a little grimey, nothing saccharin covered here and is refreshing to see. Hell of a lot of potential, keep and eye out.
I was actually surprised to see that Fenech-Soler were on this bill, as I would have put them slightly more to the indie side of things, though they have remixed Example’s Kickstarts. The five piece do a relatively short set of five songs but within that time do enough to show the depth of their sound and talent.
They start their set with ‘Battlefields’ and while on stage have a clever Fenech-Soler name illuminated so everyone knows exactly who they are. Working with synths and samples can sometimes leave a rather stilted groove live but a live drummer dispenses with this and makes for a seriously infectious sound.
At times, it did seem that singer Ben Duffy’s vocals were a little low in the mix but this was quickly rectified. It was great to see him on stage at any rate, following a cancer diagnosis earlier this year and Fenech-Soler show themselves to be an entertaining and engaging live force.
Duffy interacts with the crowd and they respond with everyone dancing and going nuts. The band include ‘Golden Sun’ and ‘Demons’ in their set before finishing with ‘Stop and Stare’. Fenech-Soler prove themselves to be a varied melodic infectious electro pop group. Definitely worth going to see them again.
DJ Baller B didn’t have to try to warm up the crowd much more when he came to the stage. Example’s tour DJ played a selection of urban pop and hiphop but Swedish House Mafia seemed to be a definite winner for the relatively young crowd.
Just as DJ Baller B’s tracks finish Example is making his way to the stage, starting off the night with ‘Skys Don’t Lie’. Immediately noticeable is how much bass has been pumped up as your writer can feel the jeans on their legs vibrate with the bass frequencies. The track builds until everyone in the venue in jumping up and down in unison.
It seems, in parts, the Example is trying to push the darker side of his character, ‘See The Sea’ has a reggae two tone feel, not unlike The Specials’ Ghost Town but this builds up again to a full on dance track. Unfortunately this is the start of what seems like a routine to these ears.
There’s no denying that Eliot Gleave had the audience in the palm of his hand and it’s easy to see why his set would go down a treat in Ibiza. Unfortunately though there isn’t enough variance in his live sound to keep these ears interested. The live band are good and the drummer, in particular, must be commended, it just seems that this is more of a nightclub where the music is played live rather than a concert.
The singles obviously stand out but it seems that each track has a slow start builds up to a frenzied dance beat then breaks down a little before building back up again. That’s just this reader’s opinion though, the young audience would more than likely strongly disagree as it seemed like every one of them was having a night to remember.
Example himself is also feeding off the the vibes the audience is giving back to the stage calling them ‘Fcuking nutters’ on more than one occasion. He then announces ‘That’s all the shit songs out of the way’ before launching into his breakthrough hit ‘Watch The Sun Go Down’.
Since late 2009 Example has had a string of hits and collaborations with other artists, most of which get an airing in The Olympia. Stand out tracks for the night are definitely ‘Kickstarts’ and final track of the night ‘Changed The Way You Kissed Me’. I really like Example and this wasn’t the first time I had seen him live. Three albums in though, he just needs more variance in his live sound.
