Love Letters is another beauteous beam of sonic light borne straight from the stupendous head of Joe Mount. It’s full of the same pathos and heart-swilling, gut-tingling familiarity as 2011’s fawned over The English Riviera, and it’s all transmitted in the best muddle of summertime sadness, falsetto and misty-eyed guitars likely to grace 2014. As a live show, it’s even better.
The O2’s failings as a venue aside (turn a bloody air-con on once in a dream, guys!), it managed to attract the best kind of crowd on Monday. Almost brash in their love for the band, every song was received with rapturous applause, stamping of feet and a sense of almost Christmassy glee. Early on the audience made their mark on the material: ‘Love Letters’ inspired what must be the most polite moshpit ever evinced, and the opening of classic ‘The Bay’ received a twee football chant makeover. What was most striking was these shenanigans weren’t even annoying. What could have been a genuine pain in the back teeth was a genuine laugh. The (yes, studenty, but don’t hold it against them) crowd was just trying to convey their love vibe to the equally enthusiastic band.
The sheer force of bassist Adelekan’s smile could have powered solar panels up and down the country, and drummer Prior’s party trick seemed to be drumming like a demon with her eyes closed while both singing like a dream and grinning non-stop for the duration of the set. Although Mount’s onstage chat was dross at best (even he was embarrassed of it!) he’s completely charming and Cash on keys played the awkward showman to Mount’s modest ringmaster to a tee as Mount lead the band from classic to future classic.
‘…every song was as slick as the band’s outfits’
Instrumental ‘Boy Racers’ sounded incredible as the bass induced epiphanies on the dancefloor and ‘Month of Sundays’ made a convincing chorus choir of us all. Every song was as slick as the band’s outfits, and every turn was as confident as their touting of ‘I’m Aquarius’ as the first glimpse into this exceptional new album’s endlessly irresistible oddities. Metronomy made a stamp on Bristol’s heart this Monday, I can only hope this love letter to the most interesting band around can start to make one on yours.
Sammy Jones 