With its dry ice, giant glo-sticks and men in suits, this feels very much like the last disco on earth. And the crowd behave accordingly, with enthusiastic screams and yells. Before any band, lots of big beat sounds shake the floor. A choice selection of DJ cuts really vibe the crowd up for the night ahead. After those have finished, support band Errors come on. They’ve been hand-picked by Underworld for this tour and it’s easy to see why. The best way to describe them is to say they have the sounds of the best dance groups and a real rock vibe. Their sound, not too dissimilar to early Underworld, really gets the crowd going. It isn’t difficult to imagine these boys headlining themselves in just a short time. Errors’ frontman possesses the same crazy-monkey vibe that haunts Karl Hyde. The two bands complement each other beautifully.
Underworld walk on to a welcome normally reserved for returning war heroes. Which, in a way, they are, having spent the last few years in the wilderness, save for the Breaking and Entering and Sunshine soundtrack albums. Volleys of ferocious drum sounds underpin the band’s arrival onstage. They waste no time in getting going with ’Dark Train’, always a live favourite. There’s a real raw funk vibe in the room, which frontman Karl Hyde is very quick to notice, as he dances around in front of us, with the energy and brio of a man half his age. As always, following this, the blistering ‘Cowgirl’ is wedded to the delirious ‘Rez’. The effect on the crowed is stunning. We all dance as one, completely lost in the moment. Unlike some electronica acts, who seem to feel the need to compress their album sound in the live arena, Underworld take their time. They firmly believe in quality over quantity. Underworld benefit from a fantastic frontman in Karl Hyde. Whether reading out bad poetry or forcing us all to sing along, he enlivens the stage on end. This is particularly true on ‘Push Upstairs’, a crowd favourite since 1999 and presented here in fine, fresh form. Its’ jazzy piano breaks seem to set something electric off in the crowd’s feet. It’s followed up by ‘Two Months Off’ from their last album, 2002’s underrated A Hundred Days Off. The synth passages and stabbing rhythm track really suit the live arena. Underworld sound even heavier live than they do on record. Bass lines are fatter, beats are heavier and the urge to dance is even greater. The bass sound drills through the audience. This is one of these gigs you feel as much as hear. The set reaches a stunning finale with ‘King Of Snake’. The audience sing along with crazed, stream-of-consciousness lyrics, while dancing like gibbons. Overall, a riotous conclusion to a superb evening. ****
