It doesn't take a genius to work out why French band Phoenix is bigger than Elvis at the moment.
They've got the whole package: four irresistible males (plus a drummer who is not an official member) who are as musically talented as they are good-looking; an infectious pop rock sound that appeals to teenyboppers and Gen-Xers alike; an incredibly successful recent album preceded by three just-as-solid studio efforts; constant airplay on Triple J (and now also on the commercial stations) and, most importantly, the final ingredient, which I can now happily confirm: a slick, well-executed live show packed with everything a Phoenix fan could wish for and more.
They burst onto the stage holding nothing back with Lisztomania, the opening track of this year’s hit album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.
This album, unsurprisingly, was the focus of their set, the band managing to cram almost every single track into their hour-and-a-half set. The performance was also peppered with favourites such as Consolation Prizes, Long-Distance Call (from 2006 release It’s Never Been Like That) and Run Run Run (from 2004’s Alphabetical). Between songs there was little interaction with the crowd, with lead singer Thomas Mars (curiously, I did not detect a French accent, but maybe I wasn’t listening hard enough) thanking the crowd maybe twice the whole set, but banter really wasn’t needed anyway. It was clear from the outset the band was here on business, and was here to do it well.
You couldn't fault the sound (except for a couple of very minor and barely noticeable technical glitches that were clearly not their fault). They resonated so crisply and powerfully it was hard to believe it was even live. But while the songs were delivered flawlessly and powerfully, they didn’t stray far from the formula. Their songs were played just as they had been in the studio. But they have a formula and it works, so why shouldn’t they stick with it? In some ways, they seemed to resemble a poppier, more reserved verson of The Vines, without the on-stage tantrums and Craig Nicholls theatrics.
Their set also seemed to stretch on forever, in a good way. Every time I thought they had pulled out their finale, they piled on another song, and then another. I really felt I’d got more than I had bargained for, and that was before the three-song encore, which to my utter delight, blasted off with my all-time favourite track, If I Ever Feel Better. This was followed by an oldie but goodie, the boppy 80s-esque Too Young (from 2000 album United and also featured on Lost in Translation soundtrack. The whole show was capped off explosively with their biggest single this year, 1901, which had the whole crowd leaping excitedly in unison as the wooden floorboards of the Palace buckled under the sheer weight of hundreds of bodies.
While I could barely fault the band, the crowd had a lot to be desired. At risk of sounding like a grandma, I was expecting the worst (my choice of position down the front did not help the cause) and yes, most of the crowd was (well) under 25 and mostly comprising leather-jacket-clad girls with sweeping fringes and scruffy mop-topped boys in skinny leg jeans. This didn't bother me, until the fifth girl, right at the front of the stage, clambered atop a guy's shoulders and proceeded to wave her arms in the air in a frantic fashion through several songs. (C'mon guys, this isn't Pyramid Rock, it's the Palace.) Then, when Phoenix was barely halfway through its set, a group of tall boys rudely shoved their way in front of us from the back and proceeded to jump around like clowns, and even smoke cigarettes. There was also much Beatles-esque screaming and moshpit bodyslamming. While I adored the performance, I couldn't get out of that frat party, amphetamine-ridden sweatpit quicker enough.
Nonetheless, I guarantee every single person at that show walked away knowing their $75 (a ticket price I initially considered to be on the steep side) was well spent.
Fun facts:
* Phoenix started out as the backing band for a remix of Air’s single Kelly Watch The Stars.
* The band’s superb guitarist Laurent Brancowitz permanently joined the band in 1996 after the end of his short-lived project, Darlin', a band he formed with Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, who eventually became Daft Punk.
* Lead singer Thomas Mars' partner is film director Sofia Coppola. They met during the production of Coppola's first feature film The Virgin Suicides, when Mars helped mix and did the vocals Air’s Playground Love. Mars can be seen in the film during the homecoming dance scene.
