MGMT’s first show in London in three years was met by adoring fans of all ages, from screaming teenagers to dazed adults, who took shelter from the pitch-perfect autumn night in The Forum. After being promptly warmed up by support band Guards, the colossal crowd, reaching the peak of over-capacity, was delighted by the arrival of the American band. Starting off with the cover of Faine Jade’s ‘Introspection’, leading fans to self-examination from the beginning of the gig, the band effortlessly explored tracks from their first, second and third album. The members, from VanWyngarden to Goldwasser, shielded by a myriad of instruments, were quite reserved, leaving to the giant psychedelic screens behind them the duty to entertain the public. The choices in the setlist were absolutely perfect: contrasting new to classics – ‘Time to Pretend’ followed ‘Introspection’ – and placing the crowd pleasers in odd and distant instances, kept the crowd interested throughout this kaleidoscopical journey. Visually and audibly superb was the full rendition of the Yeti-track ‘Siberian Breaks’, which with its 12 minutes of psychedelic and folky harmonies sent most of the crowd in a trance. Also incredibly adorable was the musical aid a young fan gave to the band by playing a massive cowbell during ‘Your Life is A Lie’ and the use of a drone during ‘Alien Days’ – not to mention the Alien prancing around the screen during said track. ‘Kids’ was probably the peak of the night for most of the public: VanWyngarden, abandoning his stern and reserved persona, left all of his musical armour behind and went on to move around the stage involving the fans in the singing and chanting. In the encore, after years of absence, ‘Song for Dan Treacy’ was performed, maybe as a tribute to the Television Personalities songwriter’s nationality, fitting perfectly into this absurd setlist. As the closing song of the night, MGMT well deservedly spread their arms and soaked up ‘Congratulations’, before leaving behind the final traces of the technicolour experience they created for the night.
