Austin – One of the bands to watch in the upcoming year, Glass Animals is a force to be reckoned with. Outstanding on both their recorded album and in their live performance in Austin this past Wednesday, the group is certainly set for stardom. Rising fast, the band initially was set to play at the Parish, which sports a third of the capacity that Emo’s does. Upon moving their show to the larger venue due to the unprecedentedly high demand of tickets, the unsuspecting band ended up playing to a sold-out crowd of over 1500.
Characterized by sultry vocals and hip hop-style cadences, I would have never expected these guys to be from Great Britain. Though I don’t fancy myself a connoisseur of English music, I felt Glass Animals to be a refreshing breath of fresh air from the United Kingdom. Neither stale in their energy, nor indecipherable in their accents, the band maintained a refreshingly soulful stage presence. With that said, the set was a sea of dripping, sparkling melodies traversing across an ancient rhythmic terrain.
Kicking the set off with the second track from their 2014 debut album Zaba (on Harvest Records in the U.S.) entitled “Black Mambo,” the group was oozing with soul and excitement. Never having seen the singer before, I had envisioned a far more robust man with a tantalizing set of seductive dance moves. Though not un-sexy, singer Dave Bayley’s on stage prowess was more akin to Thom Yorke performing “Idioteque” with Radiohead on SNL. Abruptly jerking and twitching to the smooth beats, I found Bayley to be more engaging than my aforementioned imagining of him. Though the songs did not quite warrant such a maniacal dance accompaniment, the chaotic movements against a glossy, melodic wave of music was like nothing I’ve seen before. With the performance of the band’s most popular single, “Gooey,” the majority of the audience members had their hands in the air, grooving to the song’s sensual lyrics.
It was remarkable how a band with a sound so entrenched in seductiveness could also manage to be accessible. Bayley interacted with the audience in between each song, always thanking them for their participation. Proclaiming the crowd to be the largest they had ever played for, the energy was intoxicating. There is nothing quite like being part of an audience that a band is truly humbled by.
After a pre-encore frenzy of yells and screams for “one more song,” the group came back on stage to present a cover of Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown” that somehow sounded more hip hop than the original. Employing their characteristic use of bass-heavy beats in 2/2 time signature, Glass Animals had the entire venue hypnotized. More than once, to the delight of those stationed in the front row, Bayley jumped over the railing into the pit.
Ending their set with my personal favorite, “Pools,” the band managed to get the whole crowd jumping. A vibrant and tropical tune, this final number had the whole crowd dancing, and leaving them in awe as the band left the stage.
Some live experiences I would describe as otherworldly, but this I want to designate as “other era-ly.” Somehow, my mind was reverting back to prehistoric images of pyramids and Pharaohs from my seventh grade World History class. I can only attribute this to the primordial nature of Glass Animals’ style: timeless and pioneering.
Glass Animals continue their tour with dates in Australia, the U.K. and Europe.
Ruth Griffin
Latest posts by Ruth Griffin (see all)
- Glass Animals Shatter Their Own Audience Record At Emo’s - December 21, 2014
- Sarah Jaffe Plugs In At The Parish - November 27, 2014
- Baths At Austin’s Empire Control Room - September 25, 2014
