The Wake

Same old story, right? Behind a whirlwind of hype and accolades (recently named NME’s Best New Band), these four blokes from the U.K. released their debut album (Myths of the Near Future) on January 29th and are already off on world tours. They’ve even been assigned to and/or accredited with their own genre of music, “new rave.” Having only heard a handful of songs, and though I enjoyed them all thoroughly, I was unsure of what to expect. Would they be as good as advertised (ala Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, The Libertines, and Kasabian) or were they merely another over-hyped blog band from across the pond (think Kaiser Chiefs or The Darkness).

DJ Sovietpanda, of Too Much Love notoriety, commenced the festivities with his unique brand of well-listened alternative selections transformed into one long and bumpin’ dance saga. Klaxons took the stage at 10:30. Upon first sight and sound, it was apparent they were less than seasoned on all accounts. Vocal and instrumental capabilities were limited at best, and their first few songs exposed a lack of lyrical quality and song depth. Despite this realization, their high energy performance and complete acceptance of shortcomings culminated in all around great time. They dedicated their biggest hit, “Golden Skans,” to Prince in a clichéd yet always welcomed gesture of musical “thank you” to the city of Minneapolis. Dangerously catchy and danceable as all get out, their quick rise to fame became much less confusing. Their drummer’s struggle to keep up with their breakneck pace added in punk appeal what it cost them in clean sound. A personal highlight was the guitarist’s outfit: tight black jeans and a giant wolf-adorned long-sleeve black t-shirt, of a size too big for its occupant — an outfit I hadn’t seen since my days in grammar school. The band maintained their high energy until the last note was played. A pulse of feedback rang-out as they all dropped their instruments and meandered off stage in different directions. It was a fitting move from these fairly inept Brits; they left the crowd wanting more by pretending as though they didn’t care. Good times were had by all and the world of music remained unpredictable.