The large grand interior of Alexandra Palace was buzzing with the sound of anticipating voices as fans old and new gathered to see the almost London elusive Incubus on their line of UK shows promoting their new album ‘If Not Now, When?’.
On the bill to support on the tour were fiN, an up and coming indie alt-rock band hailing from Surrey, comprised of Jonny Garner, Simon Harding, Luke Joyce and Kerry Lambert. With a sound that combines dark instrumental progression songs with contrasting rolling drums and chorus chants, they filled the anticipating atmosphere well, with an obvious energy from the lead vocalist and good stage presence overall – a comfortable prelude to the main act.
Echoing a similar mixture of dark broody melodies and then more intricate faster numbers, the show was opened with ‘The Artisan’, a graduating atmospheric instrumental piece with soft wailing vocals. This song is one of two that are being released via a self-released 7” single- the sleeve adorned with pictures of famous British inventors- the other song being ‘It Changes Everything’, a juxtaposed tune that fluctuates between stark guitars and staggering drums and simple vocals to a growing mix of bass lines and dark tones, a song good for reverberating in the vast space of the venue. The audience’s attention stuck as the tones and feel of the performance changed with each song, ‘Everybody Dies Alone’ comprises melancholic guitars and ballad-like vocals into a mix of brash guitars, while the last song of the set ‘Life is Wasted on the Living’ combines long Biffy Clyro-esque vocals with loud instrument-less chanting and full on energy.
As fiN left and the audience prepared for the main act, excitement grew again with many people keeping their positions in the crowd. The lights went off and the Californian band took to the stage, the screen behind them starting to flicker into life. They jumped straight into old heavy classic ‘Privilege’ from 1999’s critically acclaimed ‘Make Yourself’. Immediately old and newer fans alike all joined one force of singing, and from then on the show settled into an invigorating situation of singing dancing fans, guided by the positive force coming from lead singer Brandon Boyd.
They then kept the nostalgic vibe with a welcomed intro into ‘Wish You Were Here’, which incited cheers from all. The set was compiled of a comfortable mix of old and new, with the slower matured ‘Promises, Promises’ and ‘If Not Now, When’. ‘Anna Molly’ and ‘Vitamin’ were amongst some of the older tracks that caused the most ruckus from fans as well as the obvious enjoyment from the band themselves, with Boyd’s flailing dancing and passionate singing as well as the slight mouthing of lyrics coming from the other band members. The set would then combine a perfect mix of songs for a long time fan as they played some of the most well known songs ‘Drive’ and ‘Megalomaniac’ the heavy gritty guitar sound and broken drum beats that demonstrate the twist of musical genre that Incubus created. An acoustic version of ‘Love Hurts’ brought the room to a quieter moment of peace.
As the set came to an end it didn’t stop there as they returned for an encore with the heavy rap style/turntable oriented ‘A Certain Shade of Green’ much to the delight of the now heavily moving crowd. The end of the set turned the vibe down to chilled as all eyes focused on the big screen playing an array of interesting clips- all to the soundtrack of lo-fi track ‘Tomorrow’s Food’.
With each album going into a different area of experimentation- the newest being matured after a five year break, dark alternative, funk, rap-like vocals and the most popular ballads- 20 years on the circuit and they still have the cool and calculated vibe they started with.
Photography: Sophie Gunes
